Music4Heart June Newsletter : Creating Joy With Our Own Hands

Chloe Jeon

June definitely flew by this year. We were all over the place, trying to get donations here and donations there, and bam! Now it’s July. But as quickly as it came and went, I still feel that we got a lot done and tried a lot of new things. Since EBPPE was founded, we’ve stuck with the familiar: reach out to a facility, arrange a date to meet up, give them PPE, repeat. Now, all that was great, and we were able to get so much PPE to so many facilities, but in June, we tried something different. Something bigger. By collaborating with Creating New Hope, Ombudsman Services, and other organizations in a PPE drive, we were able to collect so much PPE and reach so many organizations in such little time, while also meeting others who are, like us, passionate about helping the community. Oddly enough, my favorite part was packing the PPE into bags. The anticipation that people would be coming to receive the very same PPE I was holding in my hands and the idea that my actions would be able to save lives filled me with an indescribable feeling that motivated me to keep going. And in the end, it was definitely worth it. Although we were unable to put together a virtual concert, I am glad we were able to put so much effort and focus into distributing PPE and doing what we could to help those afflicted by COVID-19.

Andrew Choi

As COVID-19 continued, we continued reaching out to different hospices in different areas, as well as places where we have already donated to. We visited Parkview in Pleasanton again to donate more PPEs, as well as Hope Hospice, a center in Dublin. Furthermore, this month was the first time that EBPPE partnered with another organization to collect and distribute PPEs. Together with Creating New Hope, we packed PPEs together in packages and distributed them to facilities in Alameda County through a drive-thru event. As always, the facilities and centers we donated to this month were always very appreciative and I was glad that we were able to donate to new locations and expand our reach to different parts of the county. Although we weren’t able to put together a virtual concert this month, I still feel that we made an impact with our donations and time packing equipment for distribution. In the future, hopefully we can continue to partner with organizations and help more centers and facilities, while also finding the time to put together a virtual concert.

Erin Yang

June was a pretty busy month! We donated to a lot of different places and unfortunately were too busy to put together a benefit concert. However, I think we reached a few important milestones in terms of donating; we’ve donated over 1000 disposable masks and are only 50 away from 1500 as well as over 250 reusable masks and 100 ear adjusters. This month we actually collaborated with Creating New Hope during their PPE drive and we went there early in the morning to pack PPE. It felt genuine and heartwarming knowing that our donations and contributions could actually save lives, especially as we could hand the PPE to the recipients themselves. I actually enjoyed the process of packing the PPE much more than I would have imagined; I think it felt fun because it was somewhat akin to real work that makes an impact, which I have very limited experience in. The wonderful realization that we were actually making a difference really hit when we could see smiling faces through tinted car windows, when we would pack extra masks in each bag (because why not! We have the PPE to spare!), when we would send them off with a wave and a big grin. And seeing our contact’s grateful thanks is always a pleasure, but I just felt that appreciation even more when we could put the PPE that we worked hard to acquire/make directly into their hands.

Ella Jeon

While we were unable to post a virtual concert, we did get to donate PPE many different groups. It felt great to see their reactions, and made me feel happy knowing we were able to help people who were in need of such equipment. I feel that their gratefulness and appreciation really reached us, and also motivated us to continue with our cause. Moreover, another highlight of this month was being able to work with Creating New Hope, and join them during the PPE distribution down in Dublin. With safety precautions, we spent much time together, arranging many, many bags of masks, gloves, and other equipment, and spending the last hours passing them out to other organizations in the form of a drive-thru. I particularly enjoyed this experience, since it truly felt like an atmosphere filled with teamwork, as we all worked together to organize life-saving equipment for others. Even though most of us working there had never met each other before, we quickly became friendly and familiar with each other, as we shared the same purpose and cooperated nicely to service our community. In this sense, it occurred to me that while COVID-19 has undoubtedly brought many hardships and loss, looking on the bright side, it has brought us all together, as people all around the globe work to fight against the virus.

EBPPE.Org : Participating in Ombudsman Services Drive-Thru PPE Distribution Event on 06/26/2020

We are partnering with Ombudsman Services, Creating New Hope, and East Bay Community Energy to help a variety of facilities. This Friday, we will volunteer at this incredible event, distributing our PPE to the Alameda County.

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https://m.marketscreener.com/news/Ombudsman-Services-of-Contra-Costa-Solano-and-Alameda-Together-with-Collaborative-Partners-Distri--30810504/?utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=googlenews&utm_content=20200623

Music4Heart May Newsletter : Give yourself permission to slow down. You can speed up by slowing down

Chloe Jeon

Practicing my song for this concert wasn’t easy. Right when I thought I had gotten it down, my fingers would slip and hit the wrong note, or sometimes, even if I got everything right, something just felt.. off. I told myself, “Just enjoy the music. Just feel it. You’ll do fine.” But there was something inside me that was saying, “You have to finish this today. Quick. Get it right. No mistakes.” And that was stressful. When I tried to make it musical and beautiful, I messed up the notes. When I tried to play the notes correctly, it ceased to be music. And sometimes, both would go wrong. In the end, I just couldn’t play it to my satisfaction. However, knowing that the hard work would help us to acquire a few more masks and help a few more people encouraged me to keep going.

Practicing for concerts … making masks … packaging PPE … it wasn’t easy. However, the gratitude we receive each time we donate PPE is more than enough reward for the effort we put in to acquire funds and donations. I loved watching how the recipients’ faces lit up with joy and excitement as they explained how important the PPE meant to them. In particular, donating to SEBPMG, my pediatrics clinic, rang especially close to my heart. Reading their handwritten thank you card, signed by the various pediatricians, sincerely warmed my heart, and I look forward to continuing to donate to those in need.

Andrew Choi

From the continuance of COVID 19, we have also created a virtual concert for May. I feel that as we continue to become more accustomed to less traditional methods of interacting with our community without in person contact, the process becomes easier. This month, I felt that recording and editing our virtual concert went smoother than previously because it was less foreign to us. Furthermore, we donated PPEs to 4 different organizations and, from the genuine gratitude they expressed, it was easy to see that our donations were truly making a difference in our community. The staff were always very appreciative and I hope that we can deliver to more organizations and centers that need PPEs. Knowing that our donations were impacting peoples' lives makes me feel proud of the work that we put into our virtual concerts and making/packing our PPEs because I know that people who really need them are going to be receiving them. Hopefully in the future, we can find more organizations to donate to and continue our work to make a positive impact in our community.

Ella Jeon

As our second virtual concert, I personally felt it was slightly easier than last month, since we already had some experience and knew what to do for the most part. Similarly to April, we packaged items, sewed more masks, and delivered our donations. This month, we delivered protective equipment to 4 organizations. It was great to talk with the staff and it made me feel helpful and glad when they expressed their appreciation for our deliveries. My favorite part was hearing that our work would be put to good use and that it truly would ease the struggles of others. The recording process for the virtual concert was familiar, although it still took time. I feel that since it is a recording, you have many chances to listen to it, re-record it, and hear mistakes, so it naturally makes you feel pickier. As a result, it takes quite a bit of time to record and get it to sound just right. This is probably what makes it most difficult in my opinion. However, it was still fun to play and practice the songs, knowing that our music would ultimately support others. Again, I hope COVID-19 and quarantine will end soon, while still looking forward to more ideas for virtual concerts in the future.

Erin Yang (10th, Mission San Jose High School):

I realize now that recording pieces can be quite frustrating, and sometimes you just need a little break to get it right, rather than playing repeatedly without stop. I had performed this song a while ago and I kept messing up while recording, which was a bit disheartening. However, after a quick rest to pull myself together, I was able to play through with few mistakes and although it was a little slower than I had wanted, I was satisfied with it. With the donations from our wonderful virtual audience, we were able to get more equipment to make masks, face shields, etc. I really enjoyed packaging and making the PPE, but seeing grateful people during the actual donations felt even better. I had a lot of fun with my friends packing supplies together and when we tried to pack equipment as quickly and efficiently as possible, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and pride. I especially liked going to East Bay Pediatrics because I’ve gone there for so long and it’s cool to donate to doctors that I personally know and who’ve treated me themselves. I actually just asked my doctor when I was recently there for a physical if they were interested and she seemed very excited about it. So we got that done pretty easily! It feels good to give back to them especially when they’ve been working extra hard and need more PPE to stay safe and keep us all healthy.