Summer Darling Are Chickens In Love: Giving In An Age of Uncertainty

Haiti taught me something about giving. I used to believe that people didn't give more to charitable organizations because of their hesitance of losing the actual money. I've definitely experienced that feeling after giving to a charity--am I going to have enough money this month for my expenses? It's certainly a challenge when it comes to giving, but after what I've witnessed in regards to Haiti, where millions of people have given to this cause and felt good and justified, I've had to rethink my reasoning. Perhaps people's aversion to giving is more than the money thing. Could it be as simple as a matter of convenience? With Haiti, giving became more accessible and easier than ever. Of course there were the scams to avoid, but it was the first time I'd heard of texting a number from your phone as a way to pledge a little cash. That's awesome.

Here's my point. We in Summer Darling are asking folks to pledge a little cash again for an equally worthy cause: 826LA's annual fundraiser. What is 826LA? It's an Echo Park based non-profit that provides kids 6-18 years old with tutorial, college prep, and arts education. We've witnessed their programs first hand, as Heather, along with our good friends Sean Stentz from Nico Stai, Eli from the Monolators and Ken from Hexham Heads, volunteered to help with their current project: helping kids write songs! These programs are especially important now as the Arts are under attack in todays public school system. 826LA is a place kids can not only receive free tutorial services to help them achieve academically, it also is a place that encourages kids to be creative, which is an invaluable skill to take into the real world. I don't have to remind you that the most successful people I know are highly creative, even if their chosen area of expertise isn't immediately "creative."

How can I help, you say? Easy. We recorded a jam whose lyrics were written by Sara, 12, ben, 10, and Natalie, 9. It's called "Mexican Food" and it totally kicks ass. 826LA has set up a site where you can vote for which kids song you think is the best by pledging a little cash. (We're pretty sure its ours, but there are a lot other great acts involved like Cold War Kids, Happy Hollows, Crystal Antlers, and Fiona Apple, to name a few.) As a sign of good faith we'll be posting our track on our Facebook/Myspace pages so you can check it out. If you're into it, make sure you hop on line and pledge some cash to a great cause. VOTE/PLEDGE HERE.

Now I know it's not as easy as a simple text message, but a couple of clicks should be a close second. We hope to raise a ton of money for this important organization. The voting/pledge drive culminates in a day long mini music fest at the Echoplex, Saturday March 6th. The line up is still being confirmed, but we'll definitely be there, so you should be too.

If you're prone to follow shit on twitter, here's some other informational stuff:

Twitter:
#chickensinlove twitter contest. each day the best CiL related tweet wins a CD from @epttm! Bawk 'n roll! #826LA http://tinyurl.com/yarksfk

@826LA
@epttm
#chickensinlove