Thoughts from Dr. Joe: Rockin’ to raise funds for homeless services (La Canada Valley Sun)

In 1962 my brother Fred started a band called the Perfections. They were rockers. When the heat and the beat got up on a Saturday night, he brought the house down and the East Cost Swing dancers would take off and hit the moon.

I was a 15-year-old punk conscripted as an indentured servant, schlepping equipment for the band. They had a gig at Glen Island Casino, the biggest musical venue in New York. They were playing for a benefit sponsored by the New York Yankees, raising funds to refurbish Frankie Frisch Field on Mosholu Parkway in the Bronx.All the rockers from the Bronx were there. People came for the Yankees and for Frankie Frisch Field, but mostly they came to dance.With Fred’s saxophone hanging around his neck, his hand on its keys, he grabbed the attention of the Perfections, shouting, “One, two, a-one-two-three!”The sax exploded! Glen Island Casino was rockin’. The Perfections brought the house down.It’s been 51 years since the Perfections played the Casino. However, the allure of rockin’ on a Saturday night for a worthy cause is alive in La Cañada. On Saturday, Nov. 2, Brad Schwartz is producing Rockin’ for the Homeless III. He’s raising funds for Union Station Homeless Services, the largest social service agency assisting homeless and low-income people.

Brad’s a homeboy from Brooklyn. Consequently I understand his commitment to service.

“I remember where I came from,” he said. “In La Cañada we’re blessed; we should give back. I want my children to realize, not far from here [there are] people much less fortunate than we are. The mission of Union Station is to help the homeless rebuild their lives and end the cycle of homelessness.”

A few years back, Brad and some guys were hanging out, brainstorming about throwing a party for their friends in La Cañada. At the end of the evening, it had evolved into a rock ‘n’ roll shoot-out with live music and a philanthropical endeavor. Great deeds have ridiculous beginnings. They are often born in a café over coffee.

“This is a La Cañada event.” Brad said. “It was invented in La Cañada, it will be at the Thursday Club, sponsored by La Cañada residents, attended by La Cañadans, and with a La Cañada band.”

Rockin’ for the Homeless I netted $20,000. It was meant to be a one-time thing. However, people wanted it back, subsequently II was born, bringing $50,000 for Union Station. What will Rockin’ for the Homeless III bring?

“This is a testament to La Cañada’s affection for Union Station,” Brad said.

He and I sat over a cup of coffee, trying to intellectualize the essence of this town that speaks to its uniqueness. What drives us to love our town? Its schools, its dancers and its athletes? What causes us to bond and come together for fun and service? The answer to such inquiries was beyond our pay grade. But Brad brought it home when he said, “Whatever makes La Cañada a home is what will bring us together at Rockin’ for the Homeless III. I believe when you try to intellectualize the magic, you lose it.”

Come to this event. Let your hair down. Go crazy. Howl at the moon. You’ll have a great time and you’ll help a bunch of homeless Americans just a couple miles away. Visit unionstationhs.org/event/rock to learn more. The suggested donation is $45.

I’ll never forget the night at Glen Island Casino. It was the first time I asked a girl to dance. After she said, no, I went to the bar and had my first shooter with Yankee Tommy Tresh, the 1962 Rookie of the Year. That night we even saved Frankie Frisch Field and I asked my second girl to dance and tore it up to the sounds of the Perfections.

By Joe Puglia, October 10, 2013 | 11:20 a.m.

JOE PUGLIA is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us.

A Motown/mashup by MUSE/IQUE to benefit Union Station Homeless Services

October 28, 2013, 6pm, Pandora on Green, www.unionstationhs.org/event/efts

Pasadena, CAUnion Station Homeless Services and Muse/ique are teaming for a spectacular evening of entertainment for a great cause. The 14th annual An Evening for the Station benefit concert will feature a Motown/Mashup by MUSE/IQUE, thecounter conventional” orchestra. The event will be held on October 28 at 6pm, at Pandora on Green in Pasadena.

All proceeds from An Evening for the Station will support Union Station Homeless Services, the San Gabriel Valley’s largest and most comprehensive social service agency assisting homeless men, women and children.

Maestra Rachael Worby is the visionary force behind Muse/ique, a deconstructed orchestra made up of virtuoso musicians, artists, creators, and stellar guests the likes of Flea, Patti Austin, Charlie Haden, Arturo Sandoval, Angela Bassett, and many more.

“Union Station makes this city better place,” says Rachael Worby. “They raise up the dignity and humanity of our community as a whole. As an orchestra founded on the idea of deriving inspiration and imagination from an enlivened civic landscape, we are deeply moved and inspired by their mission.  It is an honor to partner with them for this event.”

Headlining the concert is the multi-talented Ellis Hall. Considered the “Ambassador of Soul,” Ellis has performed with music greats like Ray Charles, Earth Wind and Fire, Kenny G., Stevie Wonder, and more.  Recognized early as a child prodigy, his gifts didn’t come without challenges.  Ellis battled through complete blindness to master the bass, guitar, keyboards, and drums.  Nothing has held him back and his music will enthrall.

Tickets are on sale now! For ticket or sponsorship information, visit www.unionstationhs.org/event/efts or contact (626) 240-4559.

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Union Station Homeless Services, now in its 40th year, is the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families.  Our mission is to help men, women and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness.  Union Station provides comprehensive, community-based programs to help homeless people achieve self-sufficiency, including intake and assessm­­­­­ent, emergency shelter, case management, career counseling, transitional housing, medical and mental health services, women’s and family services, and housing resources.

MUSE/IQUE is a non-profit organization creating inspired live events and innovative outreach programs.  In addition to our public programs, our musicians deliver season long music immersion classes for residential foster youth, and we also deliver free concerts and free tickets throughout the community so that everyone may participate in MUSE/IQUE.  We aim to remove all barriers and become the most accessible orchestra possible with the most interesting audience.  Membership sustains all of our efforts. 

 

Contact: Amanda Green, 626-240-4559, agreen@unionstationhs.org

FOR RELEASE: September 12, 2013

Celebrity Concert Benefits Union Station Foundation

Celebrity Concert Benefits Union Station Foundation

La Canada Flintridge Outlook

An ensemble of world-class musicians performed at the seventh annual “An Evening for the Station: A Soulful, Swinging Celebration.

More than 180 guests converged at the The LA Music Academy to enjoy the celebrity concert, which raised more than $120,000 to benefit Union Station Foundation, the largest social service agency serving the poor and homeless in the Pasadena area.

Performers included Jean Baylor, Robben Ford, Kevyn Lettau, Eric Marienthal, Michael Shapiro, Jerry Watts and the Yellowjackets, including Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Maracus Baylor. Adam Arkin was master of ceremonies. World-renowned visual artist Tim Biskup created the visuals for the event, including posters and a limited-edition serigraph print of the poster. The public an purchase the serigraph on Biskup’s website The proceeds will benefit Union Station.

Co-chaired by La Canada Flintridge residents Jennifer Essen and Sherry Kirchheimer, the committee worked for months preparing for this evening.

Gerry Puhara, who created An Evening for the Station and chaired the committee for four years, continues to serve on the event committee with other LCF residents Edwina Dedlow, Terry Gordon, Carol Muller, Shirley Nakaki and Marjan Neyestani.

An Evening for the Station has become a passion for everyone involved, including the musicians, the committee and the faculty and students at LA Music Academy. The intimate nature of the event, along with the dedication and year-round involvement of the performers, made this a truly unique and special evening for the guests and the performers. An Evening for the Station allows the performers the rare opportunity to create music in a relaxed and familiar setting. The artists donated their time and talent, ensuring that all proceeds from the concert benefit Union Station’s programs for homeless adults and families.

Union Station Foundation is a community-based, non-denominational, non-profit social service agency serving Pasadena and the West San Gabriel Valley. Its mission is to provide homeless and poor men, women and families with the means to transform their lives so they can become productive, stable and self-supporting. The Foundation believes in the inherent worth and dignity of every individual and strives to provide the highest quality of services based on a foundation of respect for all people.

To accomplish its mission, Union Station Foundation operates a 36-bed adult shelter, a 50-bed family shelter, a 14-unit transitional housing facility for families, an intake and assessment center, and a career development program. Its professional staff, along with over 500 community volunteers, provides an array of supportive services to residents and clients. They serve more than 155,000 meals each year to the homeless and hungry. All programs and services are provided free of charge.