MY EARTH SONGS

It has been a tough year! And if you think it has been tough on the average American family having to isolate at home and keep kids away from school and day care just think how rough things have been for children living in impoverishment here and around the world. So in June a number of children's musical artists from around the globe participated in an online concert called My Earth Songs Virtual Live Concert to raise funds for UNICEF COVID-19 relief for children. Now to do more good, the soundtrack from that concert is being released as an album with all proceeds going to UNICEF!

My Earth Songs will be available to purchase via all major online outlets beginning August 28, 2020. Great for all ages but especially appropriate for ages 5-11. My Earth Songs will retail as a $9.99 digital download with a runtime of approximately of 45 minutes.

Artists represented on My Earth Songs include six Grammy winners from around the world: United Nations Global Humanitarian Artist Ricky Kej from India, legendary Senegalese singer Baaba Maal (voice of the Wakandan soundtrack for the Black Panther movie), U.S. family musicians Lucy Kalantari and Jon Samson, South African flutist Wouter Kellerman, and two-time Grammy winner Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea. Also featured are the Earth Band’s primary artist/frontman, Grammy-nominated American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lonnie Park; Grammy-nominated Canadian flutist Ron Korb; and Global Music Award winning Indian bassist and composer Dominic D'Cruz.



My Earth Songs sets the pace with its sparkling, energetic opening track, “Shine Your Light,” which features the Mzansi Youth Choir, an ensemble that was established to provide opportunities for underprivileged South African children, particularly in Soweto. Other highlights include the multicultural “Born from the Land,” with lead singer Lonnie Park sharing the spotlight with famed Senegalese vocalist Baaba Maal, who presents soaring reflections in his native Fula language. “She Can Do,” a song that celebrates breaking down gender-based stereotypes, features Lucy Kalantari in a vocal performance loaded with verve. “In the Waterworld” showcases the jewel-like Mexican mariachi perfection of Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea. With his elegant phrasing, Jon Samson really illustrates the poetry within the relaxed ballad “Breathe Life,” which is beautifully complimented by Ron Korb’s Bansuri flute. “Bicycle Day” celebrates the world’s most efficient non-polluting mode of transportation through the artistry of famed flutist Wouter Kellerman and the clarity and storytelling confidence of Lonnie Park’s vocals.

Parents will appreciate My Earth Songs delivers complex topics in bite-sized chunks packed with meaning that children can effortlessly assimilate. Every one of these fun, positive, and super singalong-able songs has a catchy tune with simple, memorable lyrics. Focusing on what’s needed to ensure a clean, green world for generations to come, each track was inspired by one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.



Songs that inspire and help a good cause are sure to brighten a lot of days for children around the globe. That is why this My Earth Songs gets a Geek Daddy nod of approval and this dad blogger wanted to give you all a heads up about its release. My Earth Songs is kindie rock at its best educating and entertaining children through music while raising awareness and funding for a worthy cause in UNICEF COVID-19 relief for children.



To donate directly to UNICEF's Coronavirus Children's Crisis Appeal, please visit this page.

Star Wars Video Games are the Newest Humble Bundle Deal

The newest Humble Bundle deal is Star Wars video games you can play on your PC through the STEAM cloud-based gaming service.  Humble lets you pay what you want for the bundle and even gives a portion of the proceeds to a campaign's designated charity...in this case letting purchasers choose to support either UNICEF or the new Star Wars: Forces for Change charity that Disney has created and tied to the promotion of the brand's upcoming motion pictures.  Name your price: $1, $5, $12 and you get 3 classic video games for whatever you want to pay.  If you spend over the "average" amount people are spending on the Bundle you get 3 more games or if you just spend $12 you can get a total of 9 games.  Plus you never know throughout the games Humble may throw in some additional games into the package to up the ante! Right now the Humble Bundle is estimated to be worth $115 if you went out and bought these games from retailers right now.

The Name Your Price Games are:

Knights of the Old Republic

Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

Star Wars Dark Forces

The Average Price Games are:

 Battle Front II

Knights of the Old Republic II

Star Wars Republic Commando

The $12 Bundle Games add:

Empire at War: Gold Pack

The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

The Force Unleashed II

I remember enjoying many of these games on my original xbox gaming system so if you are a PC gamer and like Star Wars this seems like a great not to miss deal.  Don't wait though because this is a limited time offer and when its over the deal's gone.  Keep an eye out on the clock on the offer's web page that is running down how much time is left to make sure you don't miss out.

Remember too if you are in a generous mood some people pay more than they need to in order to support making donations to a campaign's charitable partners.  I'm sure UNICEF and Star Wars: Force For Change would appreciate your generosity and put donations to good use.

Win a Walk on Role in Star Wars Episode VII

Star Wars is making its way back to the silver screen in 2015 and when millions of people flood theaters around the world to see it there is a chance they could see you in the movie!!!  Director J.J. Abrams is giving away a chance for one lucky fan to win a walk on role as an extra in the film through a partnership with UNICEF'S Innovation Labs and Programs and website Omaze.com called STAR WARS: FORCE FOR CHANGE.

From May 21 through July 18, 2014 people can visit Omaze.com and make a donation to support UNICEF.  Based upon the amount of money donated you can receive various reward prizes and entries for the walk on role as an extra in Star Wars Episode VII.  Disney has pledged $1 million dollars to cover the expense of the FORCE FOR CHANGE rewards and costs so that all of the money raised from fan donations goes to the charity.  If you would like to enter the sweepstakes for the change to appear in the movie without making a donation, you can do that to.  Send a postcard with your contact information on it to: 

FORCE FOR CHANGE 

P.O. Box 3190

1217 Wilshire Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90408

or visit this website and complete the form: https://www.omaze.com/digital-free-alternative-method-of-entry

FORCE FOR CHANGE rewards range from $10 which provides 1 entry in the Star Wars movie sweepstakes and a digital badge that you can use for your twitter avatar to $50,000 for a private advance screening of the movie in your hometown and 5,000 entries into the sweepstakes.  CLICK HERE to see all the rewards available.

This Star Wars promotion is following the example set by DC COMICS in their WE CAN BE HEROES campaigns which I've blogged about in the past.  DC's WE CAN BE HEROES campaigns provide rewards from fan donations that are used to support charities providing famine assistance in the Horn of Africa.  I have to say that from looking at and participating in past WE CAN BE HEROES campaigns they are much more generous and affordable than the FORCE FOR CHANGE promotion is.  FORCE FOR CHANGE is really focused towards wealthy individuals who can afford to spend thousands of dollars versus WE CAN BE HEROES has some pretty cool reward items that middle class families can obtain for reasonable donations ranging from $25 to a few hundred dollars.  So from the reward perspective, I find the FORCE FOR CHANGE campaign to be pretty uninspiring except for the change to win the opportunity to be in the movie (which is still very biased to high level donors) compared to WE CAN BE HEROES.  If FORCE FOR CHANGE isn't going to provide some fun and innovative rewards in the $25, $40, $50, $75 and $100 price ranges to really bring in the support of a wide spectrum of the Star Wars fan base off all income levels from around the world in my opinion Disney really should have just donated that million dollars directly to UNICEF. 

poster $70 donation

t-shirt $100 Donation

While the FORCE FOR CHANGE execution is somewhat disappointing, it does help a good cause. It is important to remember to purpose of the campaign is to raise as much money and awareness as possible to support UNICEF.  According to Omaze.com, Star Wars: Force for Change wants to create a brighter tomorrow for thousands of kids and families around the world. By acting as a Force for Change, your contribution to support UNICEF’s Innovation Labs and other innovative work for children will fund dozens of life-changing projects like these in communities across the globe: 

• Portable, solar-powered learning kits being built in China, Uganda, and Burundi to ensure underprivileged children in these countries have access to relevant, high-quality educational materials. 

• Mobile phone application developed in South Sudan and Uganda, and used in the Philippines, that helps reunite children with their families after an emergency. 

• A text messaging solution in Zambia that helps families receive infant medical test results from clinics, in half the time, through mobile phones. 

If you are a Star Wars fan and can afford to make a donation to UNICEF, be a Force For Change and participate in the campaign. For more information, visit http://forceforchange.starwars.com/