Aid Still Required has released a CD of some of the world's most notable musicians. Aid Still Required works to raise money and awareness for important causes that have left the headlines, such as the upheaval in Sudan, Hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami. As we have previously written in Landmark Education News, Aid Still Required was founded by Andrea Herz Payne and Hunter Payne, and has its roots in their participation in Landmark's Self-Expression and Leadership Program six years ago, as they realized that the needs of a community linger long past when the media stops paying attention to the disaster or tragedy.

The CD, which costs $15, features 16 songs by such famous artists as Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Bonnie Raitt, Marroon 5, James Taylor and many more. Proceeds from the CD are specifically going to support tens of thousands of those still affected by the tsunami of 2004. Current projects being supported include environementally friendly job training in Indonesia, and a tsunami early warning center in Sri Lanka.

Go to Aid Still required to buy the CD or find out more about them.

Sunherald.com, a news website for the Biloxi-Gulfport and Southern Mississipi area, recently took note of a book published by Earnest Hooks Jr., "Let's Go See Mother Wilkerson's Farm: Adventures in Learning Excellence," that features the art of Lizzie Wilkerson and educates children and adults on early 20th century farming culture. The article also makes note that Hooks leads introductions to the Landmark Forum offered by Landmark Education.

Let's Go See Mother Wilkerson's Farm: New Book Uses Artwork of Lizzie Wilkerson to Enrich Growth Experiences of Early Learners

PEACHTREE CITY, GA, October 10

Designed for children and adults who are unfamiliar with early 20th century farming culture, "Let's Go See Mother Wilkerson's Farm: Adventures in Learning Excellence" (published by AuthorHouse — http://www.authorhouse.com) is the new book from Earnest Hooks Jr. and the Lizzie Wilkerson Foundation that brings to life a forgotten yet important historical era.

"Let's Go See Mother Wilkerson's Farm" takes readers on adventures designed to enrich early learning and growth experiences. "The intent is to expand the learning experiences and create a passion to sustain the desire for learning that will extend into a lifetime productive experience," explains Hooks.

A milk churn, a sausage-making machine, a well and a rub board are familiar to a few keen observers. However, for an increasingly large portion of the population, these objects of farm history are entirely foreign. Created to enhance children's reading and writing skills beginning at preschool ages, "Let's Go See Mother Wilkerson's Farm" speaks through the extraordinary works of artist Mother Lizzie Wilkerson, born in 1900 in rural Georgia as the youngest of 21 children. Wilkerson's "brilliant and unique" talent was discovered through a Georgia State University outreach program in 1978. Five years later, Tom Brokaw of NBC Nightly News featured her GSU exhibit in a clip and said, "… every piece sold; some pieces for as much as $500."

Her artwork hangs in some of the most prestigious museums in the United States, including the Museum of American Folk Art in New York, N.Y., the National Museum of American Folk Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Ga. In this new book, Wilkerson's artwork fills readers with excitement as they discover a vibrant, productive culture from a century ago.

In the upcoming second volume of "Let's Go See Mother Wilkerson's Farm," the adventures continue. Volume 2 will feature five more adventures: "Enterprise" exposes readers to the "classic model" for enterprise and the Golden Seven Values; "Your Winning Future" features a picture album of young, successful, inspiring achievers; "Self-Expression Adventure" uses poetry to help readers manage life learning and growth challenges; "World Travel Adventure" introduces learners to the exciting world of geography; and "The Platinum Growth Adventure" encourages readers to read books from a reading list, to eat more fruits and vegetables, to visit a farm and to write an essay for class reading. Also included are farm locations in the metro Atlanta area for future visits and study.

Earnest Hooks Jr. is a native of Atlanta, where he met Lizzie Wilkerson as a young child. He attended Howard University's School of Architecture and Harvard's GSD Professional Development Program. A registered architect and certified building biologist, Hooks has served as a mentor for local children for several years and is an Introduction Leader for Landmark Education, Inc. He considers writing to be his second passion to architecture and design. For more information, visit http://www.wilkersonbooks.com. 

Love Knows No Bounds, the organization created by Catherine Martinez in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as her project in Landmark Education’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program, continues to spearhead the rebuilding of the 7th ward of New Orleans. The organization worked tirelessly towards a sister city partnership between New Orleans and Ithaca, New York, where Martinez lives and Love Knows No Bounds is headquartered, and now that partnership has created momentum for large number of rebuilding projects to move forward. Ithaca residents make trips several times a year to work on rebuilding homes.

In addition to this ongoing work, Love Knows No Bounds has worked to help those affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Some people evacuated twice–They fled from New Orleans to Texas to escape Hurricane Gustav, and fled Texas to escape Hurricane Ike. Many that fled Hurricane Gustav spent the last of their money to stay in hotels, thinking there would be disaster assistance when they returned. Instead, they came back to homes with no power and spoiled food, no money to buy anything and no government assistance.

Love Knows No Bounds hastily raised money to work with Pastor Bruce Davenport and his St. John’s church. Davenport had the foresight to get generators for the church, so he was able to put up many of the evacuees there, and the money raised paid for food and medical supplies.

The organization also worked with the Peaceweavers group to bring 50 people from New Orleans to upstate New York for a weeklong peace and healing retreat. At least half of the attendees were teens and children. The participants in the retreat had the opportunity to get rested and rejuvenated for the challenges they faced back in New Orleans, and learned new community building skills and new tools for healthy living.

Ithaca’s partnership with the 7th ward has gotten many city residents to take action. Many Cornell students are at work on a new sustainable and affordable housing project in the seventh ward. One reformed Jewish temple took on a project to return a couple to their homes. Another New Orleans pastor had his home ravaged by Katrina and has been unable to afford repairs. He has continued his mortgage payments but despaired of being able to return. Thanks to the temple, the home is being rebuilt and will be complete some time this spring.

In the view of Love Knows No Bounds co-director Mike Ellis, the best example of how individual Ithaca community members have gotten behind New Orleans 7th ward comes from the actions of a 12 year old boy. The boy started his own business where he goes door to door and collects people’s recycling, which he takes to the local recycling center for a small fee. In this way, he has raised over $500 for the rebuilding of the 7th ward. This past summer he actually went to New Orleans to help rebuild homes.

“People are getting that it is possible and doable for ordinary people to make a difference,” says Ellis.

News 10 Also Ran a Story about Love Knows No Bounds’ recent work.

Ithaca Shares Love with New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, LA. — A Sunday morning at St. John’s Number Five Church in New Orleans. Despite their ongoing problems post-Katrina, their faith is strong.

“We’re recuperating on a slow stage, but we are recuperating,” said St. John’s Number Five Church Pastor Bruce Davenport.

Two Love Knows No Bounds volunteers have made another trip to the 7th Ward to continue helping with that process.

“I see some progress, I see people being more hopeful than they have been in the past,” said Love Knows No Bounds Member Karen Ruston.

The relationship between the two groups has been blossoming for more than a year. And last summer Pastor Davenport and other church members made two trips to Upstate New York, first visiting Ithaca, then attending a retreat at the Peaceweaver compound in Bath.

Although services are back on, the church is still dealing with some serious structural issues.

“Our walls are busted open and our roof is busted open and our support is gone, because the buildings been shifted,” said Pastor Davenport.

Just a couple of months ago, the federal government tore down a project housing development right across the street from St. John’s Number Five.

Now, because of that, the church’s congregation has dropped from 300 down to just a couple dozen, but they say it’s because of groups like Love Knows No Bounds that they’re slowly getting people to come back.

“The income of the church has really dropped. We use to have summer camps, now were limited our summer camp, the way we want to do it. We used to have a lot of substance abuse programs, we cut that down. We used to do a lot of outreach, we had to cut that down,” said Pastor Davenport. “ So the help they are giving us, is giving us a chance to regroup right now.”

“I think that there’s just so much love and they’re just so happy to have any support that we can give them,” said Ruston.

Pastor Davenport says the church probably needs to come down, but they’re hoping it will last for a few more years. Pastor Bruce and will be heading back to Peaceweaver compound in Bath for a second visit the first week of August

For more information or to get involved, visit the Love Knows No Bounds website. To read the News 10 story in its original form, go to the News 10 website.

Ithaca resident Catherine Martinez took Landmark Education’s Self-Expression and Leadership program in NYC in the Summer 2006, taking a four hour bus ride into the city on the weekends for classes.

Like others in her class, she was at a loss what her project would be. Two weeks into the course she realized that not only had she not chosen a project, but she was now getting behind her classmates.

Shortly thereafter, Martinez had a dream. “I had a dream in which I saw beautiful wood furniture loaded onto a tractor trailer bound for New Orleans,” she recalls. The dream was particularly vivid and she remembers that “upon waking, my heart said I needed to pursue this, even though my head was telling me that the crisis of Hurrican Katrina was over and furniture certainly wasn’t needed.”

As part of the classwork, and for her own accountability, Martinez began a log of phone calls she was making in order to connect with people in the New Orleans area who could serve as a conduit for material aid. Over the course of the next month she made over 300 calls before she was able to reach someone in a reputable relief organization that was willing to partner with her, and could vouch that without a doubt, there was a dire need for this sort of help. Had it not been for the reminder from her SELP teacher that she should be “willing to fail one hundred times” she might never have perservered in these circumstances. Catherine found that even though the hurricane had passed many months earlier, people in the Gulf Coast were sleeping on wood pallets and camping out on the ground where their homes once stood. People were desperate to know that they had not been forgotten by the rest of the country. People were unable to find work or receive financial assistance without a permanent residence.

And so, Martinez really began to take action: “I started by gathering a few friends to meet weekly at the local Wegmans. Even though these were my closest friends who gave no commitment to long term involvement, I knew that the legitimacy of actually having a group meeting was the next step.” Soon she came to realize how many people were actually wiling and able to contribute as long as they knew their contributions would go to the right place; directly to the people in New Orleans. An article in the city paper, the Ithaca Journal, came within the last two weeks before the tractor trailer was to depart.
Within days contributions of furniture and monetary donations began to pour in. So many such that by December 16, 2006 another 25 foot truck was needed in order to take all that had been doanted!  People in Ithaca wanted, felt propelled, to contribute–To drive the truck, to contribute warehouse space for goods in Louisiana to participate on the work team, and much more.

Of all the people that Catherine and the others on her team met in New Orleans, none touched them more than Pastor Bruce Davenport, otherwise known affectionately as “PB”. PB heads up a small church squarely in the projects of the 7th Ward, and is the spiritual and emotional support of his community, both before, during, and after the
devastating flood of Hurricane Katrina. PB tirelessly preaches, prays, and uplifts all whom he touches and when the team met with him it was clear that their effort was not over. Catherine knew at once that more needed to be done, and could be done, by the relatively wealthy community she lives in. She teamed with Mike Ellis, who had encouraged her to meet Pastor Bruce (whom he had met from an earlier trip he had made to the Gulf Coast) and it was with Mike that she met a kindred spirit. In that long distanced call from Catherine in New Orleans to Mike in Ithaca, the plan to continue and grow with Love Knows No Bounds was hatched. Now there would be a particular emphasis on partnering with Pastor Davenport and the 7th ward and creating a lasting relationship with his church community. It was only weeks later over another phone call that Martinez discovered that Ellis had himself graduated from SELP ten years earlier. It was just another magical coincidence in the fruition of the project.

Since that first trip, Love Knows No Bounds took eight more tractor trailer truckloads of furniture and housewares to New Orleans. The December 2007 truckload was the largest delivery yet. There have also been three student trips (with a fourth to happen shortly), where teams of Ithaca high school students spend time doing rebuilding work in New Orleans. In fact, there have been numerous work trips coordinated through Love Knows No Bounds as people look for a way to contribute. One trip currently being arranged has students from SUNY Binghamton who are studying social work going to New Orleans and assisting social workers there. The social workers get badly needed help, the students get experience.

The entire city of Ithaca has pitched in, with countless businesses and inviduals contributing goods and money. Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson has been instrumental in building a sister city alliance between her city and 7th ward of New Orleans.

“The city admires and supports the work of Love Knows No Bounds,” Mayor Peterson said in December, “and the City of New Orleans considers our relationship a unique and groundbreaking one that we hope will serve as a model for other cities.

As Love Knows No Bounds has grown, they have realized that more than just goods and services are needed to make a difference. The organization has worked with groups such as the United Way and Catholic Charities to help locals cut through bureaucratic red tape and get the help they need. Ellis talks about the group’s work to help locals gain access to ‘Road Home Funds’, a federal program through which people not covered by insurance have the money to return to New Orleans and rebuild. The application process for Road Home funds is long and applications aren’t always responded to in a timely manner, so Love Knows No Bounds is working with a lawyer who is doing pro bono work to help people expedite this process.

As for why Ellis is so enthusiastic about their work and what keeps him involved, he says “Love. Plain and simple. In December 2005, we met Pastor Davenport, and he’s my ideal of what a social worker is. He keeps dealing with adversity and rising above it. He’s a profound role model for me. I have a mission to help him, his church and the community at large.” 

To get involved, go to Love Knows No Bounds website. To read more about the organization’s efforts, go to this story in the Ithaca Times. To read what other Landmark Education graduates have done to help with recovery from Hurricane Katrina, go here and here.

Landmark Graduates Michel and Daniel Belknap bring together multiple passions to raise money for animal rescue in a project called “Puttin on the Dog”

Here is the story from the The Newtown Bee

Michel and Daniel Belknap are fairly new to Newtown, but they became involved with Canine Advocates of Newtown almost as soon as they arrived. They are definitely “dog people.”

“We love Canine Advocates. We love dogs, and we just love this great group of fun people who are dedicated to helping dogs,” said Michel. A professional artist, Michel has donated an original painting to Canine Advocates for its second annual Puttin’ on the Dog, a fund raiser that will be held at The Taunton Press on Saturday, October 13. The event will run from 4 to 8 pm.

Tickets are $50 per person, with all proceeds to benefit Canine Advocates of Newtown’s New Pound for Newtown Fund.

Puttin’ on the Dog will include “a wonderful evening of superb wines, bountiful, savory hors d’oeuvres, and scrumptious desserts,” promises Virginia Jess of Canine Advocates. “Sit by the fireplace, lounge on a couch, chat with friends, bid on fantastic silent auction items, all the while enjoying the taste of numerous fine wines and the music of classical guitarist Peter Obre.” For those who want fresh air, Taunton Press also offers a terrace and beautiful grounds. There will also be fire pits set up outdoors, for that autumnal campfire feel.

“It’s going to be a lovely evening,” Ms Jess said this week. “We had such a wonderful time last year, and this year we’re moving to a larger facility so we hope even more people will come out to join us.”

The inaugural Puttin’ on the Dog was held at McLaughlin Vineyards in Sandy Hook. Ms Jess is hoping that by moving into the center of town, into a facility that can host even more than the 75 people who attended last year’s fundraiser, the CAN event will raise more money this year than it did last year.

More than 30 wines will be offered for tasting, including some that must have been chosen for the evening because of their name.

Organizers have arranged for varieties from Chateau Ksara, Castel Mont, Robert Mondavi, Roederer Estate, Primo Estate, and Lolonis. There will also be tastings of Warre’s Otima 10-Year Tawny Port.

There will also be Dog House Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet; Mutt Lynch “Unleashed” Chardonnay, “Portrait of a Mutt” Zinfandel/Carignane and “Merlot Over & Play Dead”; and Red Rover Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. The wines will be available for purchase or ordering by the case. The wine is being supplied by Stop & Save Liquors and Yankee Discount Wine & Liquors.

Proceeds from Puttin’ on the Dog will also be earned through a silent auction. Among the 63 items available for bidding on are gift certificates from 100 Church Hill, Bentley Cleaners, Newtown Color Center, Nina’s Nail Salon, our green house, and Super Stop & Shop.

For the dog lovers, bidding can focus on a basic Invisible Fence system, a dog gift basket and pet sitting certificates from Safe-At-Home, a circa 1996 McDonald’s 101 Dalmatians set with display and a circa 2000 McDonald’s 102 Dalmatians set with display, a case of Nature’s Variety and Evanger Gourmet Dog Food, a handcrafted wooden dog wine rack, or a grooming session from Grooming Finalist.

Items also include a Guess watch, Yankees and Red Sox memorabilia, jewelry, Panera bread for one year (one loaf per month), a round of golf including use of a cart and a new box of balls from Newtown Country Club, tennis lessons and a new EW Wilson racket, framed photography, and even a Longaberger basket.
Michel Belknap created this painting Tulullah specifically for the silent auction at Canine Advocates of Newtowns Puttin on the Dog fundraiser on October 13.

Michel and husband Daniel, along with their dog Bella, moved to Newtown after Hurricane Katrina. It was the second time in their marriage that the Belknaps felt the need to move following tragedy. Her parents and 97-year-old grandmother are still in The Big Easy, but her siblings have moved away so, like many families following Katrina, the family is living further apart now than ever before.

Michel was born and raised in New Orleans. She attended Louise McGehee High School and Tulane University, where she received a bachelor of fine arts. She moved to New York City to study illustration at Parsons School of Design. Upon completing her associate degree in illustration she began working for Adam Scott Limited as a designer and producer of home and decorative accessories for a variety of clients, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, Bloomingdale’s, TJ Maxx, and Victoria’s Secret. Michel also opened a test market retail store for the company in Manhattan that continues to be successful today.

In 1997 she and Daniel, a commercial photographer, moved to Prague where she began working as a makeup artist specializing in theatrical and special effects makeup. Daniel and Michel worked together with many clients both in Europe and in New York, including Pepsi, Delta Airlines, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar magazine.

In 1999, after studying with Landmark Education Corporation, Michel began to work with Landmark as a manager to market and produce educational seminars for children and families. These seminars focused on getting the most out of life and developing positive, powerful family relationships. The Landmark Education offices were located in the World Trade Center.

Following the attacks of 9/11, Michel and Daniel moved home to New Orleans to be nearer to her family and continued to work for the company from a home office.

Michel began to paint and draw again after arriving home in New Orleans. She was asked by family and friends to paint pictures of their wedding flowers. Within a year she was a featured artist in New Orleans painting local flowers in a European, feminine style that became popular since it matched the style of French antique décor popular in New Orleans. For the next five years Michel had an average of four gallery shows each year and continues to paint today.

After Hurricane Katrina destroyed her studio and home, however, Michel and her husband decided to relocate back to the New York area. Daniel and Michel both fell in love with the peacefulness and the community feel in Newtown.

“We moved here because we wanted to be commutable but near sane people,” she said this week.

It turns out the Belknaps have found themselves within walking distance of at least four artists, two of whom are Betty Christensen and Pat Barkman.

Michel recently began the MFA program at Western Connecticut State University. She will complete her master’s this year and hopes to pursue a career in teaching art.

“That’s one of the main reasons we moved to this area. I researched schools there were not going to cost a kidney – I like my kidneys – and WestConn has a really incredible art program,” said Michel. “That, and there was such a draw to this town artistically. Fairfield Hills, Ram Pasture… there are so many places to illustrate.”

Meanwhile, the Belknaps continue to get acclimated to their new hometown and its weather patterns.

“Our dog completely loves it here,” Michel said. “She’s in heaven. The snow, everything about it… she’s completely at home in the country. She’s a border collie-Lab mix and she’s about 5 – but she still thinks she’s a puppy – and she has about 15 balls scattered around the backyard. It looks like a ball cemetery.”

The Belknaps are equally pleased with their new home.

“This is utter heaven for us,” she said. “We just completely love it. We can’t get over how warm and hospitable people are up here. I can’t even begin to explain it. Daniel and I have definitely found a new home in Newtown. We love it so much.

“I know I sound like a Newtown postcard, but we do, we really adore it.”

Michel has been involved with CAN almost from the moment she and her husband arrived in town. Coming from her New Orleans background, “the whole idea of Puttin’ on The Dog’ represents for me a little slice of New Orleans in Newtown for an evening,” she said this week. “It’ll be drinks, and refreshments, and fun. I can’t wait.”

For tickets to Puttin on the Dog call Virginia Jess at 426-5327. Tickets will also be available at the door on October 13.

Trucken for Katrina: A project started in the Landmark Team Management and Leadership Program 

Not long after Hurricane Katrina hit Sherrill Sundberg learned that one of her neighbors had 4 separate family members who each lost their homes.  She was participating in the Landmark Team Management and Leadership Program at the time and immediately knew what she was going to do for her project.  

Over 100,000 people literally lost everything they had in Katrina and now nearly two years later, the scope of the need has barely diminished.   Like most people Sherrill wanted to whatever she could do to contribute to the relief effort.  Her initial project was named “Christmas in New Orleans”.  It had an initial goal of providing “Christmas for the families of the four relatives of her neighbor.  Each family was to be given a Christmas dinner and each member of the family was to be given new clothing and  three gifts of their choice.  

While attending one of the weekends of the Team Management and Leadership Program she was challenged by another participant to expand the scope of her project.  She accepted expanding her project to 10 families.  Soon the program exploded to 25 families receiving  ”Christmas in New Orleans” .  In total 92 people received “Christmas” and 250 families experienced the gift of generosity at Christmas.   

As it turned out, this was just the beginning of an odyssey of contribution for Sherrill.  After that first Christmas, Sherrill knew that the project had to continue in some way, as they had not even scratched the surface of what was needed.   

As an active member of her Commerce United Methodist Congregation she naturally had invited other church members to participate in the project.   Sherrill met a lady who was so inspired by the purpose of the project, cashed in the equity of a life insurance policy in order pay for trucks that would transport donations from Michigan to the Gulf with the condition that the trucking company would give a significant discount off of their normal fees.  Sherrill managed to inspire a local private trucker to deliver the donations while charging less than half of his normal fees. “Trucken for Katrina” was born .

As the word spread about “Trucken for Katrina” Sherrill soon began to work with the First United Methodist church in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  Many homes there were flooded or totally removed by the tidal wave as it entered that community.  Many families requested to participate in the project.  A network quickly developed that today is allowing Gulf Coast families in need to be able to request specific durable goods.  Sherrill’s community share items that are in good condition and often purchase new items to send to the families.   Sherrill calls the donated goods, “Early Marriage and Pre-Attic Furniture like was all had when we first got married”.  It is allowing families to move out of their FEMA trailers and into a furnished home. Eventually they will be able to purchase their own style of furnishings.   This project has allowed families to attain some sense of normalcy.  As of August 2007, four semi trailers have delivered durable goods to 32 families.    
It has not all been smooth sailing. Sherrill has had to overcome huge challenges, from trying to get donations to fulfill the unique requests of families to dealing with tons of donations and a few that are unusable, to a truckload of carefully collected goods being left on a curbside with immanent rain without notifying the families before hand so they could come an pick them up.    .  

Now nearly 2 years later, the scope of the need has barely diminished.  

Since this whole project began, Sherrill has heard stories that she could not have ever imagined.  She tells the story of one lady named Debra who lives in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  When Katrina hit Debra was one a many people who did not leave her home. At the height of storm surge, Debra to prevent drowning, swam out the front window of her apartment clinging to a floating book shelf.  She was carried over 2 miles inland before she was finally able to grab hold of a pillar in the front of a church and be rescued.  After her ordeal during the storm, Debra lived in a tent for 3 months, then a FEMA trailer until she was offered the opportunity by her former employer to rebuild a house with the promise that she could live there at a reduced rent. After months of work to re-do the house, Debra has discovered that she is being evicted because the landlord wants to sell the re-built house at a great profit.

Debra’s story is not unique and is only one of thousands that are similar.  Sherrill remains not only undaunted but is more inspired than ever.  Her project is connecting people and families and waking people up to the difference they are able to make.  Sherrill says, “Having identified a need in the world I have discovered with a team you can do anything. Through Landmark Education I have a great education in communication and I am able to move, touch and inspire others to go out and make a difference. This project has taken on a life of its own because it gives people an opportunity to express their unique desire to make a difference.  You get back far more than you give.”