An Open Letter from Composer, David Olen Baird

May 20, 2002

Dear Friends,

As you know, in the aftermath of the tragedy of September 11, hundreds of millions of dollars were raised for the victims and their families.  Unfortunately, this generosity has had an unfortunate side effect - it has been more difficult for local organizations to get the funding they need.

reStart Incorporated (http://www.restartinc.org/) , an interfaith ministry to the homeless, has been especially hard hit this year.  Invitations to their major annual fund-raising event, Jazz Feast, had to be sent just a few days after September 11.   Needless to say, people were not in a very festive mood -- their attention and contributions were being drawn in another direction.  As a result, attendance was off.  The event raised only 30% of what it has raised in its better years.

I started volunteering my services a few years ago by organizing a concert with 100% of the proceeds being directed to reStart.  As a result of that concert, the people at reStart were interested in a special project that would introduce reStart to people who might not otherwise know about them.

The Garden Suite Recording Project, was started last year with a grant from the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation with the American Music Center and Gary Ross Productions also providing very generous support.  It is a compact disk featuring original music played by four of our area's finest chamber musicians.  Although, this project was originally intended primarily as a promotional tool, with the financial situation as it is, the use of the CD as a donation incentive premium is much more important that originally anticipated.

I hope that you will take the time and effort to do what you can to help.  Whether it is making a donation to reStart, and receiving the CD as a donation premium, or telling your friends family, and community about this project.  Everyone has the capacity to do something to help those in need - and to make our world a better place in the process.   Please help.

Sincerely

David Olen Baird,
Composer