Jazzin’ It Up! with Footsteps to the Future
F
FTTF darlings and mentors at annual “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” weekend at ‘Tween Waters, in Captiva, Florida
Footsteps to the Future Creating a Path to Self-Esteem and Independence
by Yvette Lynn I
n 2001, when Judi Woods learned about the plight of ill- prepared foster kids whose birthday present on their 18th year is homelessness, she founded Footsteps to the Future. The mentoring organization works to create a brighter future of independence for young lives that had the potential for ending in drug and alcohol abuse, unwanted pregnancy, unemployment and other social misfortunes. Woods says statistics from the Case Family Programs, the nation’s largest operating foundation focused on fos- ter care and improving the child welfare system, are what opened her eyes to what can befall young people aging out of foster care. To her shock, she learned that 70 percent of the nation’s prison population has spent some time in foster care, and 50 percent of foster care youth eventually fall prey to crime, drug and alcohol abuse and homelessness. Woods, who serves as the executive director of Footsteps, began her mentoring organization on a small scale, matching 10 women volunteer mentors with 10 young women who were beyond the age for state-sponsored foster care. Outstanding success with the more than 126 young girls who have been through the Footsteps program has carried it to the next level. “Our model for change in Southwest Florida, which is a national pilot program, not only provides mentoring, but also transitional living and advocacy, all of which help to break the tendency to replicate living off the welfare system for generations,” advises Woods. Instruction in valuable life skills helps the girls build self-esteem and understand that their voices count. “Until we encourage and give them a platform, they don’t know what they are capable of doing,” emphasizes Woods. “As mentors and agents of change, the most significant thing we see is that letting these young women know they are loved helps them as survivors. That is a contributing factor when we look at the success of Foot- steps as a program and the girls themselves, as they become productive members of our society.”
For more information, visit
FootstepsToTheFuture.org. 24 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
ootsteps to the Future re- lies primarily on grants and private contributions to fund programs, which is why Founder and Executive Director Judi
Woods created Jazzin’ It Up, the organization’s signature fundraiser. “We decided to showcase several of Southwest Florida’s many incredibly talented jazz musicians who are supportive of our organization,” notes Woods, who adds that the 2010 event drew a full house. “We were so excited to get a standing-room-only crowd for our first concert that we de- cided to make it our annual signature event, especially since there are hundreds of jazz fans in the area.” This year’s Jazzin’ It Up! concert will be held June 9, at the historic Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center, in down- town Fort Myers, with headliner Ira Sullivan and other fine jazz musicians. Sullivan, a five-time Grammy nominee, is a master of the trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone and flute. He has performed and recorded with some of the greatest figures in jazz history, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Red Rodney, Johnny Griffin and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Originally from Chicago, Sullivan was an integral part of that city’s vibrant jazz scene during the 1950s and ’60s. He has lived in Miami since the early ’60s and continues to tour the world, performing concerts and teaching clinics. Music education is an important part of Sullivan’s life.
Legendary multi- instrumentalist Ira Sullivan
The concert also features tenor saxophonist Lew Del Gat- to, who worked and recorded in New York City for more than 40 years and was a member of the Saturday Night Live Band from 1975 to 2005. New York City jazz trumpeter Dan Miller, who toured and recorded with Harry Connick, Jr., Maynard Ferguson, Wynton Marsalis,
World class, world traveled trumpeter Dan Miller
Tom Jones and Woody Herman, will also perform. The world-class rhythm section features pianist Jerry Stawski, bassist Scott Smith and drummer Ron Hefner. Singer/songwriter Susie Hulcher will be the featured vocalist at the VIP reception, where guests can meet the musicians, and the event includes a live and silent auction and dessert raffle.
Location: 2301 First St., Fort Myers. VIP reception begins at 5:15 p.m.; the concert starts at 6:15 p.m. For tickets, call 239-281-7378. Also visit
FootstepsToTheFuture.org.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64