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Blue Star Connection is part of our Blues In The School agenda. The new program is based on bringing comfort to children with cancer or life threatening issues. It is our goal to offer music into their lives. Either with instruments or with musical performances that they and thier families can attend as guests.

We will be doing ANYTHING we can to fund this program so NO child waits for the relief that music might be able to bring them!

"We just read via Blueswax--all the good work you are doing for the youth!!! Bravo bravo! It would truly be an honor for Ron to have you as a friend" - Ron Thompson

Click HERE to make a Donation to Blue Star Connection. Any Amount helps!




We lost Blue Stars Brandon on April 1st & Sneha on May 5th.

From the Blue Star Connection kids and their families:

Blue Star Connection had one of its best nights ever outside Chicago on Saturday Feb, 16th. Kyle Michalek had emailed me wanted to get into see Anthony Gomes at this All-Star concert called World Stage. Anthony plays it every year and last year he hosted Kyle as well. Anyway, I gave Gomes a call and told him Kyle was looking at making it to the show. "Say no more" Anthony replied , "Kyle is a cool kid" " Let me work out the details". So the details turned out to be sitting on the stage with all these superstars and all access to the venue and the artists. But that wasn't the highlight even, they grabbed Kyle and gave him a tamborine to beat on during a big jam.

This is a testiment to how much the artist are willing to reach out to our Blue Stars. We are lucky that we have such beautifull people helping and such beautifull kids to help !.. If you don't know what Blue Star Connection is then go to www.grandblues.org . It is part of the Grand County Blues in The School program. With this we can take music to kids who are not getting to go to public schools.I think there are more kids unable to go to school due to the fight against cancer that would love to be involved in music than we can begin to find. If this ain't a worthy mission for people of music then I do not know what would be.Please get involved. I can't list all the people who are giving this program something from thier hearts. Kyle starts chemo tomorrow after he has been in remission for several years. Cancer and kids don't seem to ever be easy to beat. But nothing stops these kids from keeping heart . Lets just continue trying to be the "cure for the cure".

Without a doubt Anthony Gomes is the Blue Star Connection Artist of the Month.


Awesome!!!
The guitar is sooooo cool! I can already play a couple of easy songs!!!!
Thank you thank you thank you!!
-Caitlin
I have cancer but now I'm living life to it's fullest!

I live in a city called 'Ghaziabad' which is very very close to Delhi (2-3 miles) and close by a city called Noida (1 mile). My birthday is on 30th June. My mom runs a beauty salon for ladies. My dad was in army but he took premature retirement to be the 'vice president in operations' of a software company called 'Infopro'. My brother 'Somesh' is 22 years old, he is doing post graduation. We both fight a lot :). My dog 'Jo-Jo' is the darling of our house, he just turned 5. Cancer has really got me closer to my family. My dad is my mentor, my friend, he has made me a fighter against cancer, he makes me look at the good side of everything and always supports me. He praises you a lot. Sir you can ask me anything you want will love to tell you. You know sir I was in my school's soccer team:)
Take care!
Luv-Sneha

“I was diagnosed back in December 2006 with a Desmoplastic small round blue cell tumor. I already like to play the violin in the Orchestra at my school, when I had the ability to do it in school. I am not able to go to school because of all the different contradictions cancer causes. Anyway, yes, I have been interested in playing the Guitar. I would rather go for an electric guitar, I think they sound cool. I've never played a guitar before so I need practice. My favorite music type is Christian Rock and Christian Rap. My favorite bands are Pillar, POD, Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, Hawk Nelson, The Cross Movement and Swithchfoot. I'm Christian so that guides most of the kind of music I listen too. Anyway thanks a lot for spending the time to get me involved in all of this, I can't wait to hear back from you.
Brandon”

When asked what color of guitar he would like and if he would share more about his cancer, his reply was...

"I would like a dark blue color. Well with my cancer they say it's an aggressive tumor that spreads. Every time I go into chemo, I don’t really ever look forward to it because it's chemo!!! I mean I’m glad it will shrink the tumors but the side effects are so bad, like vomiting and just not feeling good in general."
Thanks, Brandon

So guess what happened today......I GOT MY GUITAR!!!! I was really excited about it and you guys got my favorite color, blue. I started messing around with it today and the amp too. I was reading the beginning parts of the book you sent and trying to practice chords and little tunes, but of course I still need practice, but I'm working on it. I just wanted to thank you and the whole Blue Star Foundation crew so much. This guitar made me so happy, believe me.
Thanks again, Brandon

"...left the hospital today at 10 after the No.9 Chemotherapy Cycle. We have to go for No.10 ... and we are scheduled to be in John's Hopkins Hospital here in Baltimore for one month stay for the Stem-Cell Transplant. It's been very difficult for Brandon and for the three of us, I stop going to work and I stay with him everyday anywhere. We hope and pray this will be over soon. He will continue his Home School again soon. I am very Thankful for you and for all the people involved in this foundation, and to Colin who told Brandon about this, It really means a lot and put a smile on his face all the time. Thank you very much and God Bless"
...from Brandon's Mom



Blues In The Schools

Thanks to...




Check Out The Music

The GCBS has been recognized by the Colorado Association of Libraries for Partner of the Year for the "Check Out The Music" program.

The Grand County Blues Society has created the "Check Out the Music"program in all Grand County Libraries. All libraries in the county are now involved. We would like to thank the staffs and leaders for all their assistance and willingness to participate in the “Check Out The Music” program. The libraries do all the work and we get all the credit, that is not the way it should be. A special thanks to Anna, Glyn, Lynn, Sue and Cindy for everything they have done to help create this wonderful program.

“Check Out the Music” program allows residents to check out a quality instrument, with everything needed to play a guitar. It will give parents and children a chance to see, if they are meant to be musicians, at least it will give them a peek at the future. Each library has it’s own policy. Right now the Fraser Valley Library has 2 acoustical guitars, 2 electric, guitars and amps, and a Fender bass with an amp. The Granby Library has an acoustic guitar and a Fender electric with an amp. Hot Sulphur, Kremmling, and Grand Lake Libraries all have an acoustic guitar and will each have an electric guitar.

We are going to be doing group lessons at the libraries with guitar teachers employed by the GCBS. We are going to listen to the libraries and help them gather other items, such as books, DVDs and music, etc for the betterment of the program. Any ideas and items are welcome. This program is paid for by our Blues in the School supporters. If you wish to make a donation to this program please contact us at grandblues.org. Our BITS director Yaniv Salzberg or Joy McCoy will be glad to take your help.

What is our dream, “to create music in our community,” nothing more, nothing less. We love the blues and the blues loves us, but we are pro music at the end of the day.

We would like to thank all the great blues musicians that are working today to bring the blues to our county. Without these gifted and dedicated players the world would be so much less.