Chernobyl Children's Project International

lombard illinois students on "chernobyl heart" mission

A few months ago, I received an email from Glenbard East High student Hannah Reneau.  Her teacher, Chris Vandenberg, had assigned his Lombard, IL students to research a social need then take an action to bring about positive change.

Hannah told me that she and her friends Jenna Kenny and Michele Graham went online to learned about the Chernobyl disaster and the work of Chernobyl Children's Project International.  They wanted to know what they could do to help kids their age affected by the disaster.

(The photos show, from left to right, Jenna, Hannah, and Michele. )

When I told them that CCPI is launching a children's cardiac surgery program in Ukraine this year, the students found their goal: To raise enough money to save one child's life.

I sent the girls a copy of the film Chernobyl Heart, and they arranged a screening for fellow students and the community.  Hannah said "It really opened their eyes to what is going on in Chernobyl regions.  Most were overwhelmed by what they saw."  They rallied around the girls in supporting their mission. 

Hannah, Jenna, and Michele:  Not only have you saved a young life, but judging from the photos, it looks like you had a great time doing it!  I promise to send you a picture of your "Chernobyl heart" child when we return from Kharkiv, Ukraine this May! 

cedar-n-sage donate song to chernobyl children's project international

Long time Chernobyl Children's Project International supporters and band Cedar-N-Sage have come up with another way to help families and communities affected by Chernobyl.

By clicking on the image below, you can listen to their latest single, What in the World, from their upcoming album, Reflection Pool. 

If you download the single by clicking on the "$,"  or going here, the band's proceeds will go to CCPI. 

Cedar-N-Sage means "healing through knowledge."  The Arkansas based band consists of D'Lorah on vocals/keyboards, Earl McCool on bass, and T on guitars.  T -- her given name is Tina -- grew up in Japan. As a schoolgirl, she remembers seeing repeated images of the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima.  She told me, "This was not the stock footage one sees in the US, of the mushroom cloud -- they showed everything."  The images continued to haunt her, and when she saw the film Chernobyl Heart it "reactivated the anger and sadness I felt as a child."  She and the band have been supporters ever since.  They see What in the World as their environmental song, and decided to donate the proceeds to CCPI. 

Thank you, Cedar-N-Sage, not only for this, but for the support you have shown these past years!   I hope everyone will listen to the song, and join me in thanking the band for their contribution. You can learn more about how contributions help by clicking here.

thievery corporation & chernobyl 20 spark support for children

Last week I was honored to receive a check from lounge/electronica band Thievery Corporation and Mondano ("World Citizen')  Mondano is a Washington DC based alliance that ignites transnational cultural and artistic collaborations.

Pictured above:  Andre Kravchenko (Mondano), Eric Hilton (Thievery Corporation), me, Rob Garza (TC) and Bill Crandall (Mondano) at ESL Music.

The team embarked last year on a project called Chernobyl 20 -- an effort to focus attention on Chernobyl's continuing consequences.  The collaboration brought together photographers, musicians, and the final haunting recording of a beloved vocalist.

The Chernobyl 20 photo exhibition examined the contrasting perspectives of photographers Antonin Kratochvil, Paul Fusco, Bill Crandall, Donald Weber, Gabriella Bulisova, Robert Knoth, and other artists. Some of the photographers traveled with CCPI through Chernobyl regions.  The exhibition was shown at the United Nations and at the US Congress hearings on the 20th anniversary of Chernobyl.

Robert Knoth's powerful affection for Annya Pesenko, who has a brain tumor, is captured in the photo shown here.  We feel privileged to count Annya's family among those served by CCPI's hospice program in Gomel, Belarus.  I was saddened to tell Robert about this brave girl's poor condition on my last visit to her.  It was heartbreaking to see her struggle to remain conscious, and the pressure on her mother was enormous.

Thievery Corporation's The Passing Stars was the last song recorded by Pam Bricker.  Pam was the voice behind Thievery Corporation's iconic song, Lebanese Blond.  After her death, Eric and Rob kept the song from commercial release, and placed it on iTunes with all proceeds to help children affected by Chernobyl.  Eric told us, "Pam would have been proud that her final track helped people in this way." Included with the download is a digital booklet of the Chernobyl 20 photo exhibition.  You can find both on iTunes by searching for "Thievery Corporation" and selecting "The Passing Stars."

This effort brought together diverse talents in common cause.  It not only raised funds that will be put to good use.  It reached new audiences to broaden the understanding of the ongoing nature of the Chernobyl disaster.