March 30, 2004

WHAT'S UP EVERYBODY!!

The particularly observant amongst you will notice that I do my best to keep the updates to once every 2 weeks. And now I'm throwing again on only 11 days rest. So much has happened, I didn't really feel like I had a choice.

Keeping it simple though, I'm gonna focus on our first benefit show April 10th, a great volunteer opportunity, and support from the Over-the-Rhine Community Council.

First, if you're in the Cincinnati area you've got to come check out our 1st Annual Hip Hop Youth Arts Center Benefit Show. It's at the 20th Century Theater on Saturday April 10th, doors at 8pm, show starts at 9pm. We've got Aquemini Recording artist Killer Mike from Atlanta (who did "Whole World" with Outkast), a great local lineup of MCs and DJs, breakers, and graf and spoken word artists will be in the house. 15 bucks, and all proceeds go straight to the center! Pick up your presales at True Blue in Corryville, or check www.natiyouthcenter for more info. Oh, and it's all ages, so everybody's welcome!

Second, we've been receiving a lot of emails and calls about how people can help out with the center. The reality is that right now we really need funds to open our doors, and here is a fantastic volunteer opportunity for any individuals or groups that want to help us do just that. Great American Ballpark, where the Reds play, allows non-profits to run concession stands to make money for their organization. We need a minimum 0f 20 volunteers to commit to anywhere from 1-10 home games throughout the season and a training on Thursday April 29th. The spots are filling in, but the more the merrier, so please get in touch if you are interested in helping out!

Third, just this evening we were allocated $2,900 by the Over-the-Rhine Community Council! The process began in last November for the NSP dollars the council has to distribute, and at the March meeting the votes came in. Obviously this is a great accomplishment and a strong indication that we have the support of our community. While we received a small allocation a couple years ago, this will be a great step towards opening our doors in June 2004! Big THANK YOU to the OTR Community Council!

OK, that's the deal for this evening. It's amazing how fast everything continues to move. We'll be doing another show at Topcats on May 23rd, look for our new t-shirts on the web site in the next week, and remember to kick down your 20 to 2 million bucks at www.natiyouthcenter.org ASAP! Thanks for all your support,

Peace,

Gavin Leonard

Director @ Elementz: The Hip Hop Youth Arts Center

513.721.5800 work

513.266.1508 cell

gavin.youthcenter@fuse.net

March 13, 2004

WHAT'S UP EVERYBODY!?!

It's been another action packed few weeks, so this installment of Cincinnati's Hip Hop Youth Arts Center Update is as needed as ever. As always, I'll try to keep it short and focus on three main points - potential collaborations, a fundraising update, and our completed DVD.

First, in the process of getting this center off the ground, we have been meeting with as many local organizations as possible in hopes of finding potential collaboration that is as formal as sharing space and jointly to grant writing and as informal as simply knowing that one another exist. We feel confident that we are not recreating the wheel, but know that our success will hinge on our relationships with both individuals and organizations that are active in the community. We are developing relationships with Three Square Music Foundation, Citizens Committee on Youth, Lighthouse Youth Services, Media Bridges, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, the Boys and Girls Club, and several others. The response to our project has been extremely positive, and we look forward to long relationships with many of these organizations.

Second, our fundraising plans are moving forward in some fantastic ways, but we still need your support. A recent meeting with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation was very encouraging, and we are exploring other grant possibilities both locally and nationally. Gale Smith of the Smith Family Foundation has been extremely helpful and we are looking into several collaborative possibilities together. Also, we are continuing to plan several upcoming events including a show at 20th Century Theater on April 10th. Overall, we are feeling very confident that this project will be able to start June 1st as planned - but we always need more help to make it happen, so please consider making a contribution today.

Third, we have completed our DVD called CONTROL PRESENTS...FROM UNREST TO PROGRESS! With the Hip Hop Youth Arts Center Video, as well as three other independently produced films about police accountability issues, this is a great buy at only $10! Please go to our website at www.natiyouthcenter.org and check out clips by clicking on the front page photo or at Multimedia, then go to Purchase Items to get your copy. If anyone getting this in Cincinnati has access to a DVD burner please reply to this email so we can continue to keep the prices low. Copies will also be available at True Blue in Corryville and Shake It Records in Northside soon!