Musicians Mission
Famous jazz artist Miss Lilian Boutte
The Musician's Mission started in the spring of 2006 and has had as its central theme the heart beat of New Orleans, her music, culture and traditions. After Katrina many venues were gone. People in the city "needed to hear the music." In response a wonderful collaboration and partnership was established with The New Orleans Musicians Clinic and lately, The New Orleans Musicians Foundation. In the early days several churches helped to fund the project and we will be eternally thankful for: Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Newport, R.I.; Christ Church, Chippewa Falls, WI; St. Mark's Church, Milwaukee, WI; and St. Christopher-by-the-River, Gates Mills, OH.
Originally, the idea was to combine several outreach opportunities under one roof. A healing mass started the evening - for the soul; followed by a supper - for the body; while professional first rate local musicians played - for the spirit; finally, medical services are delivered at the same time including health screenings; HIV/AIDS screening; and stress relief ministries.
Interestingly, this became a main stopping waypoint for visiting mission groups and so we were able to thank them and to tell our story in a very unique context. As such the program now is hosted as a “summer series” with other “special event venues.” Our aim is to ‘keep the music playing’ and to inform visiting volunteer groups about our culture, food, and the importance of saving New Orleans. Since starting well over 400 checks have been issued to local musicians; over 4,000 people have been medically treated; 5,000 plates of food have been served.
Other collaborators and partners are:
| Sweet Home New Orleans | www.sweethomeneworleans.org | |
| NOMC | www.neworleansmusiciansclinic.org | |
| Project Rising Sun | www.projectrisingsun.net |
