Artist Story Title
Artist Story Title
Artist Story Title
Artist Story Title
Artist Story Title
Artist Story Title
HERE’S THE THING
As we become family to these beautiful people they become family to us and that’s how healing occurs because it is love-based. Things get better when someone really hears you, cares deeply and allows the solutions to be creative, since everyone’s needs are different. It’s not just about paying rent or buying food – we look at the whole person and see the long- and short-term concerns and try to address the things that will allow hope to replace despair.
Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico
In the days following Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico, we got word on a Sunday night from another musician that a legendary musician, age 83, was homeless in NY.
He had been living in San Juan through 2017’s Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in an apartment without running water or electricity. He needed medical attention after a fall in his apartment but could not get any care because the island was in a state of chaos. No one could be expected to deal with this, let alone an 83-year-old man by himself. He managed to get a flight to NYC, but when he landed, being in such a weakened state, he fell again at the airport and hit his head. He was rushed to a hospital, and three days later they told him he must be discharged. Because he had no one to take care of him, they were going to place him in a homeless shelter! We started making phone calls that night to find temporary lodging and connected him with a fellow musician who welcomed him into her home. We later found a longer-term solution in the apartment of another musician who needed a roommate to make his rent, and we are helping pay his share to help them both. We will now apply for Medicaid and look for subsidized housing. Since he had no clothes for the NYC winter, we bought him a warm coat and some boots, along with pants and sweaters, thanks to you. Our special partners at Englewood Hospital are giving him regular checkups. We are making sure he gets to our Monday Night Jams and other events as part of the process of reconnecting with old friends and the music community.
Houston Family after Hurricane Harvey & Illness
40-year-old trumpeter, lives with wife and three children under the age of 5.
They relocated to Texas after their New Orleans home was destroyed by the floods when the levees broke during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now, their home just flooded in Hurricane Harvey (their third flood in three years), and they were denied assistance by FEMA because the water damage was not visible, even though the damp floors and smell of mold were obvious to anyone who stepped inside the house. His instrument had been stored in a car in an area he thought would be safe from flooding, but when the Army Corps of Engineers opened the reservoirs, the horn and the car were destroyed. Just before the floods, this musician underwent major colon surgery and he was unable to play or earn income during his recovery period. He had to sell the van he used for a home painting business to cover his $8,500 insurance payment for the operation. His wife also has multiple medical issues for which she is currently in treatment. In order to assist with the overwhelming situation facing them we were able to get him a new horn, one that he loved, thanks to our supporters. We were also able to hire a water damage expert to make the house safe again for them and their children. It was a serious challenge for our musician to prep the house for the remediation, as he could not lift anything or carry furniture to clear the house for the bio-washing and drying process to kill the toxic bacteria. We arranged for a team to gut the home and remove all debris from the premises before decontaminating the space. Because of YOU – our donors – it is safe for the children to breathe and play inside of their home.
Jazz & Blues in the Schools and The Gig Fund
75yr old horn man had pneumonia and couldn’t make his regular $60-a-night restaurant gigs.
Clubs had closed down, and those that remained were only booking famous acts and didn’t give gigs to those who were not bandleaders. He had made his life playing on Frank Sinatra albums and touring with the band. Back in the day, it was common to make $300 for a day of recording with no residuals. Without these little restaurant gigs he couldn’t pay his rent and was evicted after three months-he was so weak from the pneumonia that he could not blow his horn. Now he was living out of his car and, without an apartment, he was unable to give lessons to students and had no money to pay a month’s security and rent even on a room somewhere. We got him immediately into our Jazz & Blues in the Schools program and hooked him up with a local band. We were then able to help him move to Las Vegas, where he hooked up with a fancy hotel that offered him a steady gig. He has never needed us since then.
Pro Bono Hip Replacement
61-year-old drummer was, for many years, dealing with various medical issues including debilitating arthritis in her hip.
JFA connected her with an orthopedist at Englewood Hospital, and for six years he monitored and treated her condition free of charge. Her hip deteriorated to the point where replacement was unavoidable, and surgery was scheduled for months later. The doctor informed us that she needed the surgery immediately – a delay would cause too much damage to top hip area. We explored her options and called some of the top hospitals in New York to find out how long it would take to get an appointment with an orthopedist via Medicaid. We found out that she would have had to wait at least two months to get an appointment and would have to wait another three months to get surgery. Her orthopedist said it was medically unsound for her to wait, and it was decided to do the surgery at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey. She incurred no costs, and JFA drove her to and from all appointments and made sure she had the proper coverage at home once she was discharged. We also set her up with a rehabilitation facility and provided her with someone to accompany her to and from treatments. She is back to work and gigging frequently.
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Your donations help us reach more musicians and their families in times of crisis.