Concert For Lost Voices
Writer/Musician Mike Ball performs one of the songs written by the "Lost Voices."
WATCH Street Beat: Lost Voices Seg 3
Ken Bryant interviews writer/musician Mike Ball about the impact that his organization, Lost Voices, has on incarcerated youth who are finding a musical way to express their pain.
Lost Voices (lostvoices.org) is a Michigan non-profit corporation aimed at helping incarcerated and at-risk kids grow and thrive through creative expression.
"We feel that if we can help some of these kids find constructive alternatives to the attitudes and behaviors that shaped their earlier lives, then all our efforts will have been well worth it," said Mike Ball, the founder of Lost Voices and a humorist, syndicated columnist, and musician.
You can help the artists from Lost Voices keep alive their mission of bringing creativity, self-respect and personal growth to incarcerated and at-risk youth in Michigan. Faced with a dramatic national shortage of funding for programs to help these kids, Mike Ball and his dedicated band of singer/songwriters are putting on the 6th annual Concert for Lost Voices to raise the cash necessary to reach out to these troubled young people.
This year's Concert will feature folk music legend Josh White, Jr.; Emmy Award-winning singer/songwriter Kitty Donohoe; Grammy Award-winning harmonica virtuoso Peter Madcat Ruth; Blues icon Reverend Robert Jones; internationally acclaimed Ann Arbor favorites Mustard's Retreat; and award-winning singer/songwriter Jen Cass. As always, the MC for the evening will be singer/songwriter and Erma Bombeck Award-winning syndicated humorist (and Lost Voices Founder) Mike Ball.
Beyond the incredible entertainment value of the evening, Lost Voices invites the community at large, including students and interested people from all walks of life, to come and hear about the amazing work they are doing in the youth centers of Michigan. These great musicians will make you laugh, cry and wonder at the talent that is locked away in the hearts of the kids they have worked with in the Lost Voices programs.
"We believe that youth can use words and music to create alternatives to the destructive attitudes and behaviors that shaped their earlier lives. The creative process can put them in touch with their own greatness," said Ball. "The words and music produced in these programs shout out to the world that these young lives are worth saving."
The Concert will take place in the Towsley Auditorium at Washtenaw Community College on Saturday, Oct 6th at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $20 in advance, and $25 at the door. Gold Circle Reserved Seating is $50. Student tickets are available for $15.
More information is available at lostvoices.org. Tickets are available online at lostvoices2012.bpt.me.
"Thank you for helping me find my voice." ~Amanda
Special thanks to Scott Lorenz and Mike Ball for assistance with this story.
