Echoes Initiative
About
On the track "Echoes" from her new album "My Better Self," Dar Williams gives voice to the notion that everything we do in our lives, especially the good things and even the small things, resonates all over the world.
"Every time you love just a little
Take one step closer
Solving the riddle
It echoes all over the world
Every time you open to kindness
Make one connection used to divide us
It echoes all over the world."
The words may be Jules Shear's, but the idea is one that Dar has embraced and practiced throughout her long career of philanthropy and social and political activism. Inspired by the song, Dar and her management team organized a campaign to benefit community-based charities titled the Echoes Initiative in conjunction with her national tour of 40 markets in the Fall of '05.
The concept of the Echoes Initiative is to help local organizations doing exceptional work through Dar's shows by helping them to raise funds, by allowing them to disseminate information about their activities to Dar's audience, and by getting them media attention in their communities through including them in Dar's publicity efforts for the tour and her new album release.
Small, community-oriented groups like these often struggle for media exposure and financial support even though they perform invaluable work. They are regularly overshadowed by the big headline charities that seem to get all the media attention - whether it be a one-time event like Katrina Relief or ongoing efforts such as MDA or Live Aid. While all of these efforts are worthy, the local organizations need special help and support and thus greatly benefit from the kind of attention that the Echoes Initiative offers.
For participants in the Echoes Initiative Dar searched deeply into communities to find extremely worthy organizations with well-established track records of service. She contacted friends and family as well as concert promoters and radio stations that play her music in each market to find the right candidates. Below you will find information on each of these, as well as links to their web sites. Dar looks forward to continuing her support of local groups as she tours, especially community gardens.
For more information on the Echoes Initiative organizations, click "links" on the sidebar.
