> A street level movement to stop that which is causing people to bleed from their soul.
What does that mean? Events and circumstances that make people feel less than human and consequently make it hard for them
to get unstuck and to have a decent life, something to which everyone is entitled, but a lot of people don't get. Our focus
is on homelessness and related issues affecting the homeless such as domestic abuse, alcohol and drug addiction,
clinical depression, and incapacitating and/or fatal diseases, etc.
>Stop The Bleeding has for the past 4 years put on benefit shows - mostly band performances
- to raise money for under-funded shelters of all kinds - homeless shelters, battered women shelters, and any organizations
providing support for the homeless. Another function will be to collect donations of food,
clothing (especially winter coats and gloves) and hopefully, monetary donations from individuals and corporations, as well
as other sorts of donations based on the individual needs of each particular cause - i.e. computers, vehicles.
>When the time is right, we will move Stop The Bleeding into the next phase and we will
open our own help center for the homeless, with a different and hopefully more effective attitude towards the people we're
trying to help. Beyond that it is our long term goal to create our own all in one shelter/refuge for the homeless. A place
where the homeless can come for help without fear of judgement, abuse, condescension, or people with questionable motives.
A place where they will be treated like human beings.
>5 years ago I wrote the following:
"What will make Stop The Bleeding unique, and hopefully gain your trust, is that 100% of the
price of admission will go directly to the cause. None of this "a portion of the proceeds" stuff - if the ticket price is
$7, then EVERY PENNY of that $7 goes to the cause. As a musician of 20+ years, I know that many musicians rely on merchandise
sales - CD's, t-shirts, things like that - for their income; therefore, merchandise sales will be at the discretion of the
bands, but 100% of the actual ticket price will go directly to the cause. I don't mean to tear down other organizations
- there are plenty of legitimate organizations out there that do great work that have legitimate overhead costs - but there
are also shady organizations that aren't eager to tell you what that "portion" is and where the rest goes. I myself have become
more suspicious and less willing to donate money because of it. That combined with my own feelings of frustration with the
amount of suffering I see around me on a regular basis has spurred me on to starting this organization."
I am proud to say that we have stuck to this promise. It hasn't been easy,
as every greedy snake in the Boston area has slithered out at some point and tried to get their cut, but we have not allowed
it, and we will not allow it. Ever. With the exception of an occasional show to cover our own costs(100% of which,
by the way, was used to put on our benefit shows and billed as such in advance) we have donated Every Penny that we have
raised to several worthy shelters in the Boston area. Not easy, but obviously it can be done, especially when you have the
right people around you.
>Making our future goals happen will be difficult, but I believe it can be done. Our
success will depend heavily on the generosity of all involved; and while I'm often disturbed by the things the human
race does, I still believe that people have the capacity to have compassion and to donate their time, talent, and energy to
a good cause.
>That said, ANYONE who knows ANYTHING about getting this sort of thing rolling - feel
free to contact us. We are determined to bring an eventual end to homelessness and so we welcome any and all advice or
info that anyone has to offer. Check out this site to see what we have done, what we are doing, and what we have
planned for the future.
