She has just asked me what it is that I do. Now, I was a marketing professional for 12 years, and I know all about elevator speeches and messaging and whatnot. But when I had to answer a 9-year-old who knew nothing about me other than I'm a "lovely lady" in Colorado, I had to come up with the simple essence of what Art from Ashes is all about.

"I work with young people who have been hurt by life and who are angry or sad about it. I help them write poetry about how powerful they are and that the world also can be beautiful, so they don't believe life is all about being hurt." Bam. New elevator speech.

The brevity of the information below will give you some sense of the good news at Art from Ashes, as well as the changes comin'. Please click the links to go to our website for further information.

The weather was perfect on August 11th for a 3-block marathon in heels -- just enough sunlight to make the green sequins glisten on Alex's heels (winner of the Fancy Hoofer award!), but not so much heat that our runners had to risk it all at the mid-course misting station ("Don't spray my face! Watch the makeup!" they yelled, trotting toward Washington Avenue).

At The Spot, we have the opportunity to interact with many of the youth who use the drop-in center, even when they don't stick around for the workshop. When I asked one of the youth, Danny, if she wanted to join us, her first question was, of course, "What do you do?" After I told her about our poetry and spoken word process, her next question was "How old are you?" When I told her I'm 22, she insisted she could not be "taught" by someone younger than her (23). We continued a friendly relationship over the weeks, and then she said she was leaving Denver for a while but would come to the workshop once she moved back. Three weeks ago she participated in her first workshop. At the end of the workshop, she insisted that I be the one to type her poems (facilitators type every youth poem from every workshop to honor their words). While typing, I saw she had written me a note, thanking me for encouraging her. It brought tears to my eyes, because this is why I do what I do, and why I'm wiling to invest so much of myself.

Read Danny's poem here...

As the new FunDevelopment director at Art from Ashes, my first job is to implement systems that will help us stay in touch with all of our supporters in some fun and exciting ways... but maybe you don't want to hear about systems. Or if you do, you can read my first draft here (before the editors got ahold of it...). Because it's all about our new database. And if you're a supporter who understands the importance of efficient systems, we would love you to help us fund it and free up staff time to work with more youth.

It's an honor to work with an agency that has so much passion to serve the community. And as a musician, I totally believe in the power of the arts to make a difference in people's lives. If you do, too, please give us money! That's right. I said it. After all, that's why I'm here...