Purple Songs Can Fly Project: News

Dear Friends of Purple Songs Can Fly,

2009 was quite a year for the project! Working with the children to write and record their own songs continues to be an amazing adventure. I am always inspired by the strength and depth of these beautiful children. Here are some of the ways that the project has been shared this year as more and more people recognize the importance of the arts in medicine and the significance of music in our lives.

January - a beautiful story by Monica Rhor of the Associated Press appears online and in print worldwide on New Year's Day http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28461535/

February - a great story by Janet Shamlian airs on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams http://www.txccc.org/content.cfm?content_id=1720

March - a visit to Japan begins plans for a Purple Songs Can Fly outreach there

April - a story about the project is published on the Grammy's website - grammy.com

May - Purple Songs reach the summit of Mt. Everest with Astronaut Scott Parazynski

June - a beautiful Reader's Digest story appears across the country http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/songs-of-love-for-child-cancer-patients/article138889.html

July & August - our wonderful intern, Aaron Kaufman returns to work with the children. A story about Aaron and Purple Songs appears in Forbes Magazine http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0907/gallery.summer_interns_college_students.fortune/5.html

September - Stephen, Alex, Zachary, Mary Jo & Nikki write the lyrics for the song, "Hope Is Always Here"

October - Olivia Newton John and David Foster write and record the music for "Hope Is Always Here"
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hope-is-always-here-with-david-foster/id341511334?i=341511337&ign-mpt=uo%3D6

November - Mike Burg's vision - Kaleidoscope - Skating, Song & Survivorship - airs nationwide on Thanksgiving Day. The children perform "Hope Is Always Here" with Olivia Newton John and David Foster as Dorothy Hamill skates to the song http://womenandcancer.com/theshow.html

December - a story about the project appears in Woman's World Magazine

Over 150 songs have now been written and recorded. The songs continue to fly on Continental Airlines in-flight playlists, and have now flown on 2 space shuttle missions. As we look ahead to a new year of purple songwriting and recording, I'd like to thank all of you for your interest in and support of the project! Many thanks to Carol Herron, Dr. Poplack, Dr. Dreyer, Susan Krause, Carol Wittman and everyone at Texas Children's Cancer Center!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2010!

Sincerely,

Anita Kruse
Founder/Executive Director

Purple Songs Can Fly is featured in a beautiful Cure Magazine Story.

http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.show/id/2/article_id/1359

Purple Songs Can Fly is featured in a great story this month in Woman's World Magazine.

· Kaleidoscope Official Website: www.womenandcancer.com

· Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaleidoscope-on-Ice/179351521353

· YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fbCXnU-7wA

A beautiful new song, "Hope Is Always Here", lyrics written by 5 children from Purple Songs Can Fly, Stephen, Alex, Nikki, Zachary & Mary Jo, music by Olivia Newton John and David Foster is released on iTunes.
Proceeds will benefit The Purple Songs Can Fly Project.
Many thanks to Mike Burg and everyone at Kaleidoscope for bringing this vision to fruition!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hope-is-always-here-with-david-foster/id341511334?i=341511337&ign-mpt=uo%3D6

On Thanksgiving Day at 3pm central time on FOX, five children from Purple Songs Can Fly, Stephen, Mary Jo, Alex, Nikki, & Zachary will perform the new Song, "Hope Is Always Here" with Olivia Newton John and David Foster on the FOX Television Special, Kaleidoscope.

Many thanks to Kazuaki Imoto and the members of the Japan Support Association for Purple Songs Can Fly - Kiyoe Ueda, Kanechika, Tsukamoto, Chikako Matsumoto, Naomi Arakawa, Masahiko Kiyohara & Kayoko Kiyohara for your visit to Houston and for all of your support!!

Many Thanks to Aaron Kaufman, wonderful singer/songwriter for coming back to Houston to be the Purple Songs Can Fly intern for Summer '09.

To date, over 145 songs have been written, recorded and flown around the globe. The songs can be heard on select Continental Airlines In-Flight Playlists, they have flown millions of miles aboard two Space Shuttle Missions, and thanks to Astronaut Scott Parazynki, a Purple Songs Can Fly prayer flag now waves on the summit of Mt. Everest.

As the first recording studio ever created on a pediatric cancer floor, the Purple Songs Can Fly Project has been featured in many publications including The New York Times, The Associated Press, Family Circle Magazine, Reader's Digest, Grammy.com, and The NBC Nightly News.

138 Songs Written & Recorded with the project to date.

Here are just a few of the new titles:

I Really Love My Dad
Home Is In the Heart
A Smile Can Change Anything
Being Invincible
My Two Kittens
Questions
Favorite
The World Prays

Astronaut Scott summits Mt. Everest making him the first human being to both fly in space and climb to the highest point on earth!
Everyone at Purple Songs Can Fly is so proud to know him.
Scott carried Purple Songs with him on his climb along with a Purple Songs Can Fly/Texas Children's Cancer Center prayer flag.
Congratulations Scott on your history making climb!!!!

http://www.txccc.org

http://www.txccc.org/content.cfm?content_id=1760

http://www.onorbit.com/everest

A story about The Purple songs Can Fly Project appears in the June 2009 Edition of Reader's Digest on page 42.
Thank you to Lynn Rosellini for writing such a beautiful story.

The Grammy website, Grammy.com features Purple Songs Can Fly in the Industry News section, titled
The Healing Studio.

Link to the story:

http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/News/Default.aspx?newsID=3286

Founder, Anita Kruse travels to Japan to begin a Purple Songs Can Fly outreach there.

Janet Shamlian from NBC News visits the Purple Songs Can Fly studio. Her beautiful story featuring songwriters Mary Jo Stavinoha and Alex Harkins airs on the Making a Difference segment with Brian Williams.

Click here to view the story online:
http://www.txccc.org/content.cfm?content_id=1720

The CBS Evening News visits the Purple Songs Can Fly studio.
Angelica writes and records a song about her puppy named Hope and Gracie comes back to the studio to sing and talk about her song, Work of Art.
It was a fun day!

Monic Rhor's Associated Press story about Purple Songs Can Fly appears in newspapers and online sites across the country and abroad.
Click here to read about Jalen and her Purple Song:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28461535/

Patrick Waites and Love Street Light Circus present a very generous donation to Purple Songs Can Fly.
Many Thanks to everyone involved with the White Album for Purple Songs Event for your support and belief in the project!

Astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper returns from space with Purple Songs.
Many thanks to Heide and Cassia for making this possible and Congratulations to Heide for a successful mission!

Love Street Light Circus chooses Purple Songs Can Fly as their first Beneficiary.
50+ musicians get together to perform the White Album at the Rice Hotel Crystal Ballroom.
Special Guests - Mayor Bill White, David Addicks, Dr. Marc Horowitz, and Carol Herron.
Special Thanks to Patrick Waites, The Love Street Light Circus Board, all of the musicians & Don Bertram for an incredibe event!