CHENNAI [July 19, 2010] – A Path of Hope near Chennai, India, connects an American Idol pop star with the children of leprosy-affected individuals. David Archuleta’s fans have purchased 150 engraved, granite bricks for a pathway at Rising Star Outreach campus and school, a project to raise up India’s outcast families.
The pathway and other campus buildings were dedicated recently, and Archuleta has told Becky Douglas, the founder of Rising Star Outreach, he will see her soon to walk the walk inspired by his music.
“When I read the stories, it was so touching,” Archuleta said. “They’re banished from their homes and really misunderstood. And their families are cast out with them. It’s sad that there are people out there who are forgotten.”
Douglas, an Atlanta housewife, and now a New York City resident, could not to forget them. She first went to India in 2001 to visit an orphanage her daughter had supported. Amber Douglas committed suicide while attending college, after struggling with severe bipolar illness for many years. Douglas asked that donations be made to the orphanage in lieu of flowers. She went to India to deliver the thousands of dollars that poured in to honor her daughter’s memory.
When Douglas arrived at the orphanage, she saw it had sufficient support. But on the streets of India, the sight of the leprosy-affected and their children, whose only means of support was to beg, caused her to turn away in horror.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “Those images. I thought, ‘Why doesn’t somebody do something?’ “Then I thought, ‘You’re somebody.’”
She founded Rising Star Outreach in a two-bedroom cottage to educate the children who were ostracized from society because of their parents’ disease. Today, the non-profit agency has 14 acres of land, a school for grades K-12, computer and science labs, a dormitory for volunteers, a library, a Meditation Hall and a Pathway of Hope.
Douglas, now an empty-nester, has reared 10 children – seven biological and three adopted – with her spouse, an international banker and attorney. Three to four times a year, she visits her 180 new children in India for three or four weeks and while in the U.S. spreads the word about her agency.
Douglas said, “From begging in the streets, they are learning that through education they can achieve their dreams. Truly it is a pathway of hope for a brighter future for some of the most disadvantaged children in the world.”
Archuleta adopted the project after his dentist, Scott McGavin, pledged to take dental care to the families of Rising Star Outreach. Soon Angels for a Cause, an umbrella Web site that raises funds for Archuleta-endorsed charities, featured Rising Star Outreach and Dr. McGavin’s goal to purchase portable dental equipment. In 2009, McGavin and a team took the equipment and their expertise to the children and adults who had never had dental care.
Other projects followed. To date, AFAC has raised more than $35,000 to support Rising Star Outreach initiatives, the most recent being The Pathway of Hope. Established by a fan, Cheryl Wheeler, AFAC was inspired by an old family friend of the Archuleta family, Todd Pennington, who started an Archuleta fan site in 2004, three years before American Idol made the singer an international star. The site was re-established after AI as www.archuletafanscene.com.
Rising Star Outreach has attracted major corporate sponsors like Marriott and Dell Computer, civic clubs like Rotary Club International and 200 unpaid volunteers every year who donate to the cause by coming to India and giving time and dollars. Videos about the project have won an Emmy and Gracey Award.
Padma Venkataraman, daughter of the former president of India and an anti-poverty activist, partners with the Rising Star Outreach to provide micro loans for leper colony members. Instead of families begging on the streets, parents run their businesses while the children go to school.
The children study, learn English, math and become skilled on computers. On the AFAC Web site, they sing an Archuleta song, Somebody Out There, to thank donors who gave them a new life. One day, the lowest caste children will rise to high-paying jobs in the businesses of India, Douglas says.
Starting with four housewives and a secretary, Rising Star Outreach has laid a pathway to success for the children and their families. When asked what her agency needs, Douglas quickly replies, “Everything. We just picked up two colonies in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, the poorest states in India.”
Thanks AFS for the heads up about this.
From AFS/StarsUnite:
David Archuleta “Squiggly Pig” Autographed quilt perfect for size for hanging on your wall.
The size of the wall hanging is 26?X38?100 percent of this auction benefit:
Rising Star OutreachOnly two quilts were made that have the famous David Archuleta squiggly pig on it. David will only draw the squiggly pig when he knows it is for a verified charity. The squiggly pig autograph is rare and hard to obtain, less than 5 are known to exist. One on a book bag, two on a quilt (including this one) and one on his new book, which will be auction in the coming weeks.
The last quilt had a winning bid of $500.00
you can see more about that auction that was held at www.angelsforacause.org by clicking here
For 4 days, $4 over the 4TH ~ 7/2, 7/3, 7/4 & 7/5
“DAVID ARCHULETA Inspires Us” BUMPER STICKERS!
In honor of David performing at the Capitol for the 4th, these beautiful stickers will be the special price of only $4 each, for these 4 days over 4th of July weekend! So if you haven’t yet had the chance, or would like to buy another to gift to a friend (perhaps an int’l fan), here’s an awesome opportunity. You’ll be supporting Rising Star Outreach, a wonderful charity that means a lot to David, and helping the leprosy children fill their new library with books as the new school dedication draws near! You’ll also be sharing with others that David inspires all of us! It’s a very exciting time, just this week through the great support and generosity of so many of you, we were able to send Rising Star Outreach a check in the amount of $1,592.71 for the purchase of books for the new school library in India! With the $335 recently raised through teaming up the stickers with “Project Bearing Kindness”, the total raised to date for the library is now at $1927.71! We’re hoping to sellout the stickers, and get the remaining funds needed for the library soon sent off to RSO. We recently gave David a Certificate on June 2nd at his NYC signing and said we’d give him an updated one during fall tour with an even larger total raised, your full name & state initials (country for int’l fans) will also be included!
To order: go to http://paypal.com to “send money” and make your payment to: DAbumperstickers@gmail.com The price during 7/2, 7/3, 7/4 & 7/5 again will be $4 (in U.S. dollars) for each, Click Purchase of Goods, then Continue onto next page with payment info. Be sure to include your full name & mailing address (including country) to receive your bumper sticker(s). You will receive a confirmation email after your payment has posted. If any questions, please email us at: DAbumperstickers@gmail.com ~
Thank you again for your amazing support of this very worthwhile cause, God Bless!
Stephanie & Danielle
Video credit: Stephdanielle1
Sponsoring one of these handmade bears will go directly to children at the school sponsored by Rising Star Outreach.
Our Special Angel Bears Poem
To David’s Caring Peeps
***
Sign a Bear….Show You Care!
***
Some Angel Bears
Need Some Care***
Please Show the Children
That You Will Share
Let’s Put Our Names
Everywhere on Da Bears!
***You can save the day and make it happen!!!
http://www.risingstaroutreach.org/dabears
The DONATION DEADLINE of June 20th is fast approaching!
Let’s fill up these adorable bears with signatures for the
children of Rising Star Schools!Da Bears Updates
Eastern Archie DJA—22 signatures
Central Hope DJA—10 signatures
Mountain Murray DJA—3 signatures
Pacific Faith DJA—8 signatures
International Peace DJA—7 signatures
I recieved an email from Stephanie and Danielle regarding the certificate for David from the bumper sticker fundraiser:
Hi Everyone,
David will very soon be receiving this certificate with the amount raised to date from the lovely bumper stickers (btw, also make beautiful bookmarks), to benefit RSO & the new school library for the children in India! If you would like to be listed on David’s certificate we have a spot for you, be sure to get your order in asap this week, quantities are also limited, once they sell out there will be no more available. So David can enjoy seeing where everyone is from, your full name & also state (country for int’l fans) will be included (note that for internet purposes full last names have not been listed here).It’s very easy to order:
Go to www.paypal.com, click “Send Money”, make your payment to: DAbumperstickers@gmail.com Price is $6.00 (in U.S. dollars) for 1 bumper sticker, $10.00 (in U.S. dollars) for 2 bumper stickers, (Add $5.00 in U.S. dollars for each add’l sticker). Click Purchase of Goods, then Continue to next page with payment info. Be sure to include your full name & mailing address (including country) to receive your bumper sticker(s). You will receive a confirmation email after your payment has posted. You can also receive your bumper sticker through Project Bearing Kindness, see the RSO website at www.risingstaroutreach.org for further info. on both campaigns.
For any further questions, please email us at: DAbumperstickers@gmail.com
Thanks so much!
From Project Bearing Hands:
Project Bearing Hands has teamed up with Rising Star Outreach to raise money for the Rising Star Schools. This effort will help furnish both the library and new physics lab.
6 white, Angel Bears have been created to “gift” to the sweet children attending our Rising Star Schools. David’s fans helped pull together two miracles last year by raising needed funds to furnish the new Secondary School and complete the Sewage System. We would like to include YOU as part of the dedication ceremony on July 10th, 2010 by adding your signature to an Angel Bear to be presented to the children. Please let us include you in:
Project Bearing Kindness
• Make a small donation of $12 and your name will be added to one of these beautiful Angel Bears.
• In your confirmation receipt, you will receive an email address created for you to include a message of kindness and hope to the children as they begin a new school year! Your messages will be compiled into a journal for them to read and gain encouragement all year long. You will become part of their history… part of India’s history!
• To thank you for your participation, you will also receive an exclusive David Inspires Us bumper sticker.
• All donors’ names will be placed on a certificate to be given to David
This will be a great celebration for everyone involved! Your support will furnish the library and new physics lab. The children at Rising Star Outreach have come along way. After several successful years of learning and preparation, we will soon be welcoming our first students at the new Secondary School. Secondary School will prepare them for their profession and higher education. Here, we will find our future Teachers, Lawyers, Scientist and Doctors. The new Physics lab will be complete with computers, equipment for experiments, data collection and lab coats!
Go here to make a donation!
Via Archuleta Avenue
Update #2: Now there is a team total of $4,110.00 (103 members)!!! Click here to make a donation!
Update: The latest is that the team total currently is $3,500.00 (96 members)! Awesome! Keep it up guys & spread the word.
Pathway of Hope: Phase Two
The Pathway of Hope is under construction! Over 125 inscribed bricks were sold during phase one.
Click image for full size.. We are excited to announce Phase two.
Construction on the pathway was slowed down a bit, as Rising Star Outreach completed building the secondary school and the heavy construction trucks had to cross over the area designated for the pathway. Several fans have inquired if they can still get a brick. We are excited to say YES!
The bricks are made of Granite and the inscriptions are being sand blasted to last for generations. The pathway will wind through Rising Star’s Beautiful property and will include a Gazebo!
A $50.00 donation made directly to Rising Star Outreach secures your brick.
16 spaces of text per line,up to two lines
Granite paver bricks will be laid in the pathway and fans will receive a letter/card in the mail confirming their brick has been placed in the pathway
A dedication celebration is slated for the sometime in June or July on the property of Rising Star. All the children will be able to walk along the path as the ribbon is cut. The children and teachers will be able to read the bricks and know that people from all over the world helped fund their new school.
A few days ago a 16 year old fan of David’s donated $50.00 and the inscription she chose for her brick, came directly from David’s speech at conference in 2009. The quote is “You Do Matter”
Please take a minute and think about what you would like on your brick and then contact Rising Star Outreach to make your donation.
For more information on how you can secure your brick please visit
www.risingstaroutreach.org/archuletaSource: Angels For A Cause
From Snarky Archies:
I’d like to pass on a bit of info to everyone.
if. the vids from this past weekend tugged at your heartstrings and you’d like to help, there are 3 ways to do so.Coming Up!
If you live near Taylorsville City in Utah,
Huge Garage Sale Event
Friday & Saturday, April 30 & May 1Spring cleaning? Getting rid of unwanted items?
Donate them to the Annual Fundraiser for Jonah project, a huge garage sale that helps Jonah’s family with medical expenses, education and outreach.Useful items: Furniture (couches, tables, chairs, lamps, dressers, desks, etc.) appliances, bicycles, tools, camping gear, BBQ’s, household items, antiques, games, CD/DVD’s, books, baby clothes and supplies, toys, minimal gently-used clothing and shoes
We appreciate your generosity!!If you have any donations please contact gojess@comcast.net
You can send checks made payable to Jonah Gomez Fund directly to:
Deseret First Credit Union
4645 South 2700 West
Taylorsville, UT 84119PayPal is also available, please use gojess@comcast.net to donate.
note: this is not a fund raiser organized by fans. please don’t tweet David about it, no one’s name is going on a list that will be made public, nor will we keep track of totals.
Spread the word if you know fans, friends, or family, ect. that live in the area!
