An Afternoon With USTORM
by Rachel Lowen, Project Manager, Umphrey's McGee
Working in the music industry has its perks. Sometimes you get t-shirts or show tickets, and sometimes, like yesterday, you get to meet a boy named Taylor creating abstract art projects from his hospital bed.
I had the privilege of accompanying Barry Brown of the USTORM foundation (United So Together Our Reach Multiples) to the Children's Memorial Hospital to deliver a donation to Snow City Arts - a foundation that enables hospitalized children to partake in music, theater and art workshops to restore educational and creative outlets lost during extensive treatment and isolation from their peers.
Executive Director and Poet-in-Residence, Paul Sznewajs, explained to us that the children they work with primarily receive continual treatment for extended periods of time. Snow City Arts takes this normally solemn diagnosis and spins it on its head saying, "Hey, while we've got you here, let's teach you how to play the guitar!"
Kevin Kostelecky, fellow USTORM founder, became aware of Snow City Arts through his research on how to appropriately allocate some of the funds that USTORM has been able to raise during the last year. Aiming to "raise funds to improve the lives of needy children and young adults by providing access to music and art education programs," USTORM's mission seemed to mesh perfectly with that of Snow City Arts.
For one, the aim at bettering the lives of children through music education is not a lofty goal but a critical one for many. Like these children, so many of us know and have felt the healing power of music at one point or another in our lives. And two, both USTORM and Snow City Arts champion musicianship as a key value to the philosophy and success of the organization. Our first indication of this commitment on Snow City Arts' behalf was their extremely qualified staff of paid artists-in-residence. Sznewajs explained that the foundation pays (rather than using volunteers) for their artists because "we want professionals and professionals should be paid for their work. We support local Chicago artists and want the students to learn from the best."
I love that. To me, it's the crux of the whole program because it illustrates the respect Snow City Arts has for these kids. They invest in artists who will show up and do their very important job, and do it well. Empowering sick kids by allowing them the means and inspiration to express themselves through music and art? Count me in!
The donation, acquired through USTORM events throughout the year including USTORM's 1 st Birthday Party and Concert, and various other fund raising efforts. The $5,000.00 donation was graciously accepted by the Snow City Arts Foundation, who then proceeded to show us exactly where our donation would be put to use. This is where we met Taylor and his family. We also met Jonathan Stein, an abstract painter and an artist-in-residence working with Taylor, who teaches kids to find inspiration in magazine clippings. I don't know what illness Taylor is suffering from, but I DO know that he has an eye for abstract expressionism.
It was a great afternoon with USTORM. It made me think in much greater detail about the many wonderful things we can do with passion, commitment, inspiration, and yes, money. That $5 you paid for raffle tickets at the Riverview Music Festival this past summer? It's now contributing to guitar lessons for a kid at the hospital (and much, much more!). It matters. Your money is doing something great- and will continue to do so, for as long as there is USTORM. How cool is that?