Transcripts For WABC Here And Now 20150927

Here and now. Join the millions who have already switched. We switched. And now, were streaming netflix. Who knew Time Warner Cables internet was so fast mom switched. And now, we can watch our favorite shows together, on demand. I switched. So i can connect to the internet just about anywhere with my free twc wifi hotspots. Join the millions who switched to Time Warner Cable. For 89. 99 a month, youll get 100meg internet, and hundreds of hd channels. Youll also get unlimited calling across the u. S. And 34 other countries around the world. Call today. I switched. Now i have a free app that lets me watch tv whenever i have the time. For 89. 99 a month youll get tv, internet and phone. And if you call now, theres no risk, no contract, no catch, no kidding. I switched to Time Warner Cable and knew exactly when they were coming. Thanks to their one hour appointment window. Switch to Time Warner Cable today. And ask how you could get a 300 reward card. 5 Public Schools on long island are among 144 schools statewide placed under receivership by the state education department. Hempstead high school and several middle schools in roosevelt, central islip, and wyandanch have been put on notice. Local Community Organizations are demanding a seat at the table and pushing for the School Districts to shape up and improve student performances. Joining us this afternoon is dennis jones, a Hempstead High School parent and member of the board of new york communities for change, along with blanca villanueva, a long island education organizer for the alliance for quality education. Thank you so much for being here with us. Of course, kids are going back to school. This. Blanca, i want to start with you, and i want you to explain to the viewers what receivership means for a school. So, as of now, what the receivership means is that certain schools are struggling. Theyve been on a list either from 2006 or, recently, 2012, 13. And it means they have either one year, if youre persistently struggling, to change things around before an independent receiver, someone that the state appoints, comes and takes over your school. And theres no Community Control over this. If you are a struggling school, you have two years to change things around before theres an independent receiver. But as of now, theres still control taken away from the community, because those schools who are struggling, the board really doesnt have a say over it. Its the superintendent for this amount of time. In both cases. In both cases. And Hempstead High School is one of those persistently struggling schools, correct . Yes. So the superintendent in both cases now has most of the control. Yes. But parent groups, Community Groups they dont have a say at all about what happens . Or are they supposed to be part of the decisionmaking process . So, one of the things about the receivership is theres supposed to be a Community Engagement team. With a Community Engagement team, theres parents, teachers, administration, also stakeholders who should be involved in order to review the superintendents plan, as well as provide suggestions and change the plan before the deadline on september 30th. So, its very important for stakeholders to be a part of this team. Sometimes, in certain School Districts, you know, theyre not being selected to be on it, which is also another problem. But it also varies in a lot of the different School Districts. Hempstead is not the same as roosevelt or even wyandanch or central islip. So this varies in a lot of School Districts. So, dennis, we really wanted to talk to you, because you this. You have a son at Hempstead High School. Yes. You are also president of the chamber of commerce in that community, and chamber of commerce, right . Yes. All right. So, really, you know, i want you to, if you can, explain to us what your concerns are, as far as this receivership and how it affects Hempstead High School, and what it is that you believe needs to happen to take this school from being a persistently struggling school to a successful one. Well, as a member of new york communities for change, we have been doing much to engage the community to understand what blanca just said about what is a persistently struggling school, and what is this receivership, and how does it affect our high school and our middle school and what were gonna do about it. So we have engaged our parents, engaged our community, our in what is called a Community Engagement team. This Community Engagement team is something that is the law that it has to be formed so that they can help to, you know, empower the school to do better. And decide, you know, how best to push the school in the right direction, is my understanding. Do you feel like, at this now, this is the first year for this receivership at hempstead. Has that process started . Are you being engaged as members of the community to help decide how to move the School Forward . Well, the process has started, but theres been so much its almost like a blanket over it. You know, were looking for transparency. Were looking for the school board and the superintendent to talk about this out in the community, give an opportunity for the community to understand each step and each stage and where they can fit to do something thatll help, because, you know, the community is a big community, and were able to do things to help the situation. But if we dont know anything about it, if it just goes on in never know. Are you feeling like people process . Are you feeling like theres too absolutely. This is something that has been going on for a very long time, even before the school went into receivership. Our school has been cited for having so many emergency meetings and so many meetings without the community involved, that this is something that is usual for them. Blanca, i want to ask you about this idea of receivership. Mmhmm. Are there good things about it, or. So, the receivership is never the answer. Its not the answer. Its another way of the topdown approach, right . But now its law. Its here. Aqe, we fought it with nycc, trying to make sure it doesnt happen, and we were able to have it just the School Districts and add the importance of the Community Engagement team. And also, Governor Cuomo was calling it failing schools, which puts a stigma into the students who go to that school. And through the parents talking about it, going to the board of regents meetings, we were able to change it to struggling schools. So, the receivership is not the answer. It is here. Now it is law. So you have to make it work. So now we have to make it work. But we have to view it from the community. The Community Voice is key to changing things around. Like i said before, hempstead, roosevelt, wyandanch, central islip, theyre not the same. The same approach is not gonna be the answer for each School District. And thats why it is important to hear the communitys voice and the stakeholders to know what is needed. Is it more esl classes . Is it more Health Clinics in your schools . Is it a saturday academy so that way, students who maybe parents came and dont speak english can bring them there to help them with their homework over the weekend . Do you feel like, under receivership, that someone is turning a deaf ear to the fact that all schools arent the same . The easy way out for the state is to treat all the schools the same instead of taking the time and energy, or pushing the receiver, the superintendents, to take the time and energy, in this case, to figure out what each school needs individually . Correct. Honestly, the receivership, from my point of view, is a way for the billionaire hedgefunders to be able to privatize our Public Schools. Now it even says that its easier to convert it into a Charter School with the regulations. And its a way for them to make profits, throwing money toward politics now that its a law. So its not the answer. Its just another way of privatizing our schools. Our schools are different, so the positive portion is the Community Engagement team. But the right people have to be on the Community Engagement team, people who actually represent the community. And i know, dennis, you have some very specific ideas about how you would like to see Hempstead High School treated. Well, absolutely. Absolutely. Its called a Community School. Its a Community School model that weve been talking about for at least over a year now. Weve brought workshops to hempstead to explain this, even to our school board, District Board members, just so that theres another option. And this will bring in all of the services that are necessary for our particular community. And wed be able to do that inhouse, where itd alleviates a lot of the pressure of the community and the parents so that now the kids can concentrate more on learning. And whatever that upanddown is, it can be addressed, you know . But as far as blanketing with the whitewash with, you know, what one district is to another and this law that has been placed down on us, were gonna end up with a problem. Now, i want to ask you before i let you go and were running out of time to play devils advocate here. There are a lot of people that would say, you know, were talking about schools that have been failing pardon that description for a long time. Theyve had problems. The community has had ample time to try and do something about it. Where have they been . And now that the state has decided to step in, they want to complain. Just your response to that. Well, i can tell you that theres been a real strong push to clean up our School District. And our School District has failed our community and failed our kids. And for 30 years, weve had that problem. And weve placed all of that weve had a comptroller do a report over a period of time. And that was given to the district attorneys office, and nothing was done. Weve had failing issues in our School District that has been coming handed down from our board and from our administration. So its really not the communitys fault, and its not the kids fault. Okay. And with aqe, you know, i talk to people throughout long island and with aqe statewide. And the community is mad. They are doing something about it. They are talking to their legislators. They are going, buses and buses, to albany to talk to their legislators about this. So they are doing something. But we do need those resources. Yes, 20 School Districts are gonna get some of that funding for the persistently struggling schools, but theres 124 others that are not getting any money, and they want to do all these changes. So the community is speaking out, but they also need the resources to be able to implement these changes. All right. Best of luck to both of you. You can go to the website, nycommunities. Org, also aqeny. Org, to find out more information about this receivership and some of the other work that your organizations are doing. Thank you both. Thank you, sandra. Sandra bookman and weve been talking this afternoon about the long island schools placed under receivership by the state education department. That includes Hempstead High School and the alverta b. Gray middle school. Joining us now to continue the conversation is Hempstead School board president lamont johnson. Us this afternoon. Youve been on the school board one. President for one year, yes. So, this receivership, what you explained to me, the exact plan hasnt kicked in yet. Its still sort of being formulated. Right, it hasnt kicked in yet. And when it comes to this, we understand the way its been set up at Hempstead High School is that the superintendent will sort of be in charge of the proposals. What role will the school board play . We play a very important part. We have a fivemember board. Were still gonna be very much involved in the everyday happenings of the school. There are some people that have expressed reservations about a receivership. I think they feel like, you know, the local folks, they feel like the control is out of their hands and maybe the superintendent has too much power. But you have an interesting perspective. You really think its about getting the assistance you need to make the schools better. I think its an opportunity for us to show the world, the nation, the county, the state, and everyone that we can perform, that we will do well. And since we have a sense of urgency now that we have to get things done, im very confident that we will. And i think not only the school board but i think if youre a School Board Member in any School District, i think you would all say, we really need the communitys support, and we really need the parents to be involved. How important is that, do you think, that parental and community involvement, to turning things around . And are parents and Community Members involved to the degree, at this point, that you think they need to be . I think the parents need to get more involved, but i want to also congratulate the parents that have been involved. We have many parents that have been involved. We have many parents that are very active. They come to all the school board meetings. They give us advice. They give us their opinion. They tell us how their children feel. And they just want a Safe Learning environment for their children. Thats what were trying to provide. We have certain members of the community that have been very helpful. Certain members of the clergy have been very helpful. And i appreciate their help. If you had to pinpoint some areas that you really are hoping will be the focus of attention push things, improve things, what would you say those areas would be . Well, we definitely have to increase the Graduation Rate at the Hempstead High School. We also have to increase the school. We have more than 8,000 students. Its just not the Hempstead High School and alverta b. Gray schultz middle school that we have to be concerned with. District. Mmhmm. And, you know, you talk about the state coming in, and, so, you know, maybe focusing efforts to improve, but there are other people that will tell you the problem is complex. Its not just about getting the Graduation Rate up or getting test scores up, that there are so many other factors that can affect a School Environment poverty in the neighborhood. Talk to me about some of those things that it has been difficult for the school board probably not only your school board but others to dont get the attention they need when we Start Talking about fixing schools. Well, as a community, as a village, we face certain challenges. Some of those challenges come into the school. We have somewhat of a gang problem. We have a problem with poverty. But we also have many groups that have been very helpful to try to make a difference. Mmhmm. And do those things get enough attention to you . I mean, do people the argument by a lot of parents is that we look so much at test scores that its almost unfair, because then the kids arent really getting were not really necessarily solving root problems. Is it possible at a school to deal with some of those other issues, like the gangs and the poverty, that affect how students learn . Well, actually, we have several social workers thats working at different schools. Theyve been very helpful with helping the children and students deal with social problems that they may have at home. So when they come to school, they can speak to someone that has been very helpful to the students. So you do try to address some of those issues. And what would you say the mood in the district is now . Are people by and large excited about the idea that, you know, theyre getting this focused attention . Or are people feeling like they would rather be able to do it themselves to get things, you know, moving in the right direction themselves . Of course, we would love to do it ourselves, but we do need help. We need help from the federal government. We need money. We need help. Mmhmm. And were getting that help. There are many people out there thats willing to help. Politicians and im not just saying that because its that time of the season, but many local politicians such as the deputy speaker, senator hannon, kemp hannon they all reached out, and theyre trying to help us now. And what would you like to see at the end of this school year . Youve gone through this process, done as much as you can, tried to marshal the forces whether it be the students, the parents, other community leaders. What would you like to see at the end of this school year that tells you, you know what . This was a good idea. We are moving in the right direction . Results. If they start doing well they come and the school is safe, and they start Getting Better test grades, and the atmosphere is better, the positive will overcome the negative. Know . Everyones talking. You know, you always hear about the problems, but the solutions i think we have to be more solutionbased. What do you think has been the biggest problem for Hempstead High School, for example . Theres several problems. Some of it is, like you said, it has to do with poverty. Some of it theres just so many Different Reasons why, you know . I mean, i dont know if i have enough time to tell you everything. Well, some of them. Whats been one of the hardest, but not only the high school the middle school, as well. Well, one of the things that we have to do is have the students become aware of how important their education is. They have to understand that education is very important. And without an education, theyre making limits on their life of what they can do. And if they become more educated, they can go anywhere they want to go. They can be anything they want to be. You know, the president of the United States is a perfect example of education and of being educated. The way the world is today, if youre educated, no one can stop mmhmm. And you would like for them to really take that message to heart. And pardon my ignorance, but do you focus a lot, say at the high school, on, you know i guess, students, are they channeled or funneled . You know, is Vocational Education a big part of the curriculum there, or we need to add more we need to add more programs, more alternative programs, more nursing programs, more autoshop programs, more programs. They need more programs. Speak. I know youre hoping with this receivership, perhaps you could start to see some of that and some of the funding. We will have some of the funding that will help us get these programs going. Okay. All right. Thank you so much, lamont johnson. Its gonna be a tough year for you, but it sounds like its well. Im ready for the challenge. The students are ready for the challenge. Were gonna prove to everyone that hempstead will rise back to the top. Okay, so, then youll have to come back and talk to us, wont you . Ill be here with the good news, hopefully, in a year. Okay. Thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. Coming up on here and now, a support group for female well be right back. Join the millions who have already switched. We switched. And now, were streaming netflix. Who knew Time Warner Cables internet was so fast mom switched. And now, we can watch our favorite shows together, on demand. I switched. So i can connect to the internet just about anywhere with my free twc wifi hotspots. Join the millions who switched to Time Warner Cable. For 89. 99 a month, youll get 100meg internet, and hundreds of hd channels. Youll also get unlimited calling across the u. S. And 34 other countries around the world. Call today. I switched. Now i have a free app that lets me watch tv whenever i have the time. For 89. 99 a month youll get tv, internet and phone. And if you call now, theres no risk, no contract, no catch, no kidding. I switched to Time Warner Cable and knew exactly when they were coming. Thanks to their one hour appointment window. Switch to Time Warner Cable today. And ask how you could get a 300 reward card. Call today. While life in the military has its challenges, life after can be equally difficult, especially for women. Military women in power is an organization that provides muchneeded assistance and support for female soldiers and veterans, whether its housing, employment, or counseling for sexual trauma. Joining us today is the chief women in power, sandra rolon, who retired from the 800th military police brigade. Thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. Thank you for inviting me. You know, after 31 years serving the country, you could do almost anything you wanted. Why is this important for you . [ sighs ] why . Oh, my god. All the situations that military women are facing right now not being recognized as a veteran or as a soldier inside and outside. The transitioning process for females are like three times worse than for men. My knowledge of 31 years of being an administrator in the army i wanted to put that outside in the transitioning process, too. You know, you have the skills to actually help someone else. Talk to me about some of the challenges that you see women facing coming out of the service that men dont necessarily face. Oh, wow. Ill give you my first scenario in my first deployment. Before i left, i gave everything up turned in my apartment, surrendered my vehicle, because my mentality was, i wasnt coming back home. And then, voil , i did. Mmhmm. And i found myself semihomeless, where i had to put feet to ground to start looking for an apartment. And when we came back, at that time, they had to check your credit for to be eligible for an apartment, which wasnt before we left. So in the two years, there was a lot of changes that we had to go through. Going through employment, trying to at the time, i was working for the department of social at the time, they didnt want to accept me back. So, they wanted me to have a full physical and the whole nine yards. Military not identifying women as having ptsd or any services. V. A. Wasnt prepared for women. So where did you go for help . Obstacles . Oh, my god. On the first deployment, i just the military model is, suck it up and drive on. Mmhmm. And thats what i did on the first one. But on the second one, it was too much for me that i went straight to the v. A. The v. A. Was a lot better. They actually called me on my last day of my deployment, brought me in. And i had a full physical from head to toe, which wasnt done when i was in 2003. But in 2010, when i came out, the v. A. Was a little better they were more prepared to issues. Not a lot, but more than the last deployment. So, the founder of military women in power, Carmen Rodriguez you have been working with her. What is it exactly that military women in power is able to do for people that find themselves in situations like yours . Oh, a twoman team. Our twoman team has done so much more than a lot of these military organizations that are in place right now. What kinds of things . We physically will walk someone to a social service appointment, to the v. A. Disability office. If they need housing, weve gotten realestate agents who find housing for them. Theres a program called ssvf, which is support services for veteran families, which provides a hudvash. Its a section 8 certificate for and we find places that accept those applications. So this way, the transition for that soldier is easier to that apartment without there being a on. So, you make it so that theyre not alone, essentially. Not at all. We walk them like babies if we have to. One of the things that we havent touched on that i know that is of significant concern to you and many women is that there has been a problem with sexual abuse in the military. Yes. I think theres recent figures that say about 25 to 26 of women in the service say violated. So many of the women coming out are also dealing with that issue. And you, i understand, also help them face those issues. Yes. If need be, if they dont want to attend the v. A. , i will find services outside of the v. A. That are close to home. So this way, its a short and not have to trek to the v. A. Or anything like that. And i think that that Community Place is a lot better for them, because they feel theyre not really moving too much from their home to go to where they have to be. Anger management, family care planning, so many things. Theres just a lot of issues that people dont even give a thought to. And its so important, i think, because these people have spent years of their lives serving the country. Now, there is if anyone is interested in the work that you are doing, and im sure they are militarywomeninpower gmail. Com. That is an email address. They can email you there. Yes. And you accept donations, because this is all voluntary, correct . Yes. Is it fulfilling for you to do this work . Oh, of course. Of course. I have seen one of my biggest things right now is the murdersuicide amongst female soldiers that has never, ever been. And just knowing that i can be there for these guys is, like. The world. The world. Thank you so much, sandra, for being with us this afternoon. And were gonna send people to that website. The work you do is important, assistance. Thank you. Thank you so much. Back. Im michael douglas, and new york is my home. Theres no place like it in the world. And theres no time to see it like the fall. Take metro north to take in the beautiful fall foliage from high above the hudson. Swing a club at one of americas greatest courses. See spectacular sights underground. Or thrilling sights above it. Theres so many incredible ways to experience the fun of fall in new york state. Plan your trip at iloveny. Com. Seeds of africa is on a mission to create worldclass schools and Community Centers in african communities. So far, atti worku, a former fashion model and founder and executive director of seeds of africa, has raised more than 1 million to help realize the first of her dream schools in ethiopia. Welcome, atti worku. So nice to meet you. Thank you for having me. You are a young lady with some big dreams. Thats correct. And you have already realized some of them. Where did the seed for seeds of africa come from . It came from my own childhood. I grew up in ethiopia. And in my neighborhood, i realized that i was lucky enough to have a middleclass family that sent me to one of the best schools in town. But i grew up with children who went to Public Schools that were really difficult to go to underfunded, overcrowded. And i realized that the children that i went to school with and the children that i grew up with had two different trajectories in life. And i thought that was really unfair. And, you know, no one person can change the world, but i thought i could do something about it. So thats where the seed came from. Now, how long have you lived in the states . This is my 10th year. Your 10th year here. And you came here to go to school . No, i came here to model. I had just competed in the thailand in 2005, and i came right after that. Brains and beauty. I guess, yeah. [ chuckles ] and it wasnt enough for you to be a beauty pageant winner, to be beautiful, to model. You wanted to use your brain. You graduated with honors from yes. And youve used that now to start seeds of africa. Yes. 2005. What have you managed to accomplish thus far . Ive started the foundation, so i think thats one of the biggest accomplishments. Own horn. I think the biggest accomplishment has been taking seeds of africa from an idea to where it is today, where we serve over 120 students in our school, starting in prekindergarten, and work with their families. So, we work with women in our Community Development program. So, weve helped start about 50 businesses now, because our Community Development program does health education, adult literacy, financial literacy, and access to credit. One of the things that i really found fascinating about seeds of africa is that you focus not only on educating young people, but you focus a lot on families. Component . Its kind of a holistic approach, isnt it . Yes. So, you know, the reason were doing this work is to fight poverty and to make sure that people rise above poverty. So the problem is poverty. So when you look at that, if you just single out the child and give them the education, thats not enough, because they still have the same issues at home. Theyre still gonna go back to a home thats broken. Theyre gonna go back to a home that doesnt have enough support. So you have to work with the community as a whole. So what we do is we work with their mothers, mainly, or their female guardians. Because if you improve the quality of life in the home and the Household Income and their health, then that child and their siblings have the and not have the stressors at home. cause we want to get rid of all the stressors a child has, to do well in school. That could be their meals. It could be their uniforms, their healthcare services, and every other issue that they have. So thats why we really want to focus on the family as a whole. And i know your organization has handed out microloans. Yes. Which really helps some of businesses. And this really improves the quality of life, as you pointed absolutely. And some of the women we work with already had Small Businesses when their children were enrolled in our program. Businesses. Women. They want to improve their lives. They dont have access to credit, usually. Also, they dont have business education, so they dont really understand the difference between profit and cash flow or separating their Household Income with the business income. And youre able to teach them that. Yeah, our Community Service providers go in about twice a month. They work with each family. And even before they take the loan, we work with each individual woman in their business plan. And all the Business Plans come from them. But we just work with them to make them more sound and solid so that they have a really good trajectory. And more productive. Absolutely. Now, so, tell us what your big dream is right now. I know youre raising money. Youve raised more than 1 million towards this school that youre trying to build. Yes. So, im calling it the dream school right now because it is our biggest dream. And it is to build an Educational Academy that competes with international standards. Because, you know, whether you live in ethiopia or you live in new york, i think every child deserves to have the best education possible. And we want the environment to reflect that. So, we want children to come into a space that is inspiring and creative and beautiful. They want to be there. They want to be there. This school. Its gonna be our first building, because weve been renting facilities up to now. And it will host up to 600 students from prekindergarten all the way to 12th grade. And it will help us expand our Community Development Program Beyond the parents of our students. We can open to the community. It would also house the First Public Library in my hometown. Mmhmm. And we want to use the space to grow the foundation further. And after this one, we want to not only go around and build other facilities, but we want to partner with the local government and find ways in which we can expand our program systems. Because at the end of the day, you want to improve the existing system and work with it, as it. And this fall, you have a fundraiser coming up. Yes. Tell me a little bit about the fundraiser. Its called new yorkers for seeds. Its on december 8th. We usually do a cocktail hour fundraiser for about 300 people this year. Our goal is to raise about and the majority of that goes to its always fun. We like to have fun. So we do it where we bring ethiopian food or african food. We bring some fun music. Yes, to introduce people to the culture. Yeah, to the culture. And then, this year, were planning to bring a classroom, actually, and have an interactive experience when you walk in, because people are not going to ethiopia not everybody, at least. So we want everybody to feel connected with the work. Youre doing. Before i let you go, i just want to ask you. Theres so many things you couldve done with your life. How satisfying is it to see this dream of yours come to fruition . Oh, thats its gonna make me cry, almost. It is the best thing ive ever done with my life. I couldnt see myself doing anything else right now, because i think, for me, you know, its gonna go way beyond me and building something for children that are so bright and so smart, and they just dont get the opportunity. And i think theyre the ones who are gonna change the world. So im just kind of a little drop along the way. Its just like everybody else whos helped me to get here. I stand on the shoulders of many, many people. And i am really just grateful that i have the opportunity to do a little bit of that. Well, we are grateful that you have the opportunity to do this, as well. We want to send people to seedsofafrica. Org. They can find out more about seeds of africa and this current campaign. We expect to hear huge things from you in the future. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for coming well be right back. Join the millions who have already switched. We switched. And now, were streaming netflix. Who knew Time Warner Cables internet was so fast mom switched. And now, we can watch our favorite shows together, on demand. I switched. So i can connect to the internet just about anywhere with my free twc wifi hotspots. Join the millions who switched to Time Warner Cable. For 89. 99 a month, youll get 100meg internet, and hundreds of hd channels. Youll also get unlimited calling across the u. S. And 34 other countries around the world. Call today. I switched. Now i have a free app that lets me watch tv whenever i have the time. For 89. 99 a month youll get tv, internet and phone. And if you call now, theres no risk, no contract, no catch, no kidding. I switched to Time Warner Cable and knew exactly when they were coming. Thanks to their one hour appointment window. Switch to Time Warner Cable today. And ask how you could get a 300 reward card. Call today. A missionary in ghana is saving and transforming the lives of children who faced almost certain death. These spirit children would have been killed because they were born physically disfigured or disabled, thus considered evil. Sister stan runs the nazareth home for gods children. She sat down with here and now while visiting the u. S. On a fundraising trip. My orphanage is located in the Catholic Diocese of yendi in a town called sang. The orphanage came like an inspiration from god, because i was a missionary in nigeria. And i was serving there. I worked in the Catholic Institute of west africa. Its a university. And i worked there as an administrative secretary. But all this time, when i return home, i had the inspiration to do something more there. While i saw most of the children living, like the abandoned children and born with defect. And the people, because of their situation, could not coordinate it, so they just abandon them. And most of them, because they have not much caregiving or not much medical attention, most of them died. So when the bishop spoke to me about it, i felt theres something we can do. So i promised the bishop i was going to try my best to see what we can do to rescue most of these children from these situations. The family and the community rejects them. This is because of a traditional practice. I think that some of the parents do not even want to partake in it, but i think they are so confined in their poverty and that the children are born with. For example, if you have a child with hydrocephalus, and you need so much time for that child. And if you are a poor mother who just depend on going to farm to get some vegetable or millet or whatever to come and make food for these children, you just cannot have the time to take care of the child the whole day. Some children are considered harming the parents because they are born with deformity. If theres any misfortune in the child. If theres any misfortune in the community, they blame it on a deformity. For example, a child who cannot speak at the age of 2, 3, and 4 and could just use the hands to make signs and so on and doesnt communicate and then cannot even feed herself or himself, such children, they always say they communicate with the ghosts, because they can see that their hands are moving, but then the child cannot speak to them. So they abandon them. They say they came from the spirit, and then they should return to the spirit. The orphanage actually i rented a house four years ago in september 2009, because when we go to that community, there was nothing in the village that we could have. And we didnt have the resources to begin immediately. The bishop asked if we could rent a house and then begin from there. So we started to rent a house by a muslim man who was so kind to us. And then we renovated it to a certain standard. We had 10 rooms there, and were able to have a chapel for prayers, a dining hall, kitchen. Then we have an office. Then the rest of the rooms are for boys, for girls, for babies, and then for the staff, for workers, also. I took in six children, started with one. Then we had three that lost their parents at the same time within three weeks. Mother died. In the next three weeks, the father died. Three kids, and then the community didnt want to help them. They would use them as slaves. They would be the one to do all the heavy works for them. So i decided to take care of them, and i brought them into the orphanage. A baby, and the mother died during childbirth such a child is also rejected by the community, because they believe that the child is evil to have killed the mother at childbirth. And nobody, no mother, will baby. So that baby was also brought, two weeks, to me, after they had but the child is doing very well. Shes called god gift. I gave her the name god gift. She is 4 years. And i see, i have a child here in the United States, in denver, that i brought for amputation last summer. And then she got amputated with the hand and leg. I brought her here when she was 8 months, and i rescued her when she was 2 months. She was just being rejected by the parents and the community because of deformity. We have almost 40 children as of now. But we have 34 in the house now. And we have 6 children that i just promised to take in, but i wasnt able to receive them before i left. So as soon as i go back, i will receive those children. You dont see us or we and you had to go here we go again here we go again the new cd q a featuring mark adams on piano and jonathan quash on vocals, fuses smooth jazz and Adult Contemporary music. Theyre artists who also happen to be york college professors, so perhaps its no surprise that their jazz project also serves as a lesson for their students. With us today is mark adams and jonathan quash. Thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. What a great combination. I think a lot of people would love to be able to fuse all their loves together. And this is not the first time that youve worked together. This is your second cd together. Thats correct, yes. And how did you guys did you come in contact with each other at york, or what . How did that come about . At york college. Mmhmm. Him by my father, ken adams, who also was the chair at york college at that time. But he introduced me to jonathan quash. And, so, what about him made you think, oh, i want to work with that man . Well, mark is an amazing musician. His background is very much jazz and even r b, some hiphop. Me, ive been more of a gospel guy for my whole life. And, i guess, like he said, his father introduced us and kind of put us together and said, you guys should kind of work together. And his father was a mentor to me, as well. And, so, i really, really appreciate the opportunity to work with such a great musician. I have a rule i never play when hes around. [ laughter ] why . He could give you some pointers. We have this mutual respect, cause i think hes a fantastic vocalist. Ive never worked with a more talented vocalist, yeah. So its a great partnership. It really is. So, tell me. You have had a big fight yet . No, we have not. Okay. All right. And, mark, your career has been really fantastic. You have toured with some of the greats. Why dont you reel off some of those names for me . And you still are, i should say. Yes. Ive been fortunate to have toured with roy ayers for many years. And ive worked with erykah badu, and ive worked with queen latifah, loads of different jazz ron carter, ronnie laws. And, in fact, on this cd, you do roy ayers and ron carter both can be heard on the cd. Yes. One of the things that i was really interested to talk to you guys about is sort of the lineup of songs and how it sort of is a story in and of itself. So, explain that to the viewers. Jonathan can explain that, cause he put that together. What the concept was was for us to kind of create this sort of question and answer in music. So, the first series of songs or the first half of the cd is really the question part or what i call the conflict. So, all the songs in the first half of it really deal with conflict. It could be about love and life. And then the second half is the answer or the resolution. So, the second half of the cd really deals with how we sort of resolve a lot of the things that we have conflict within life. And, so, thats really what q a is about, also. Its about how question and answer how sometimes life offers us challenges and questions, and we need to find answers to them. We happen to think music can also provide that answer. I think thats also a little bit of that gospel in there, too, the call and response. Absolutely. Okay. You got it in there. And i think its interesting, mark, that you guys have used a cd as a teaching tool, as well. Yes. Its easy to do. And especially with what jonathan just said regarding conflict and resolution, that would be consonance and dissonance, as well, regarding harmony. But really, at the college, what we try to do is show that there are no limitations as to what one can do out here. And we raise the bar as high as possible. And these students need it. They need it. We tell them what we expect of them, and they do it. And then thats proof that it can be done. Yeah, young people will surprise you that way, wont they . Yes. They really do live up to your expectations a lot of times, and beyond. And i think they even, in one of the classes, they even made a music video. Yes, we were able to pair a lot of the students in our department are also part of a concentration called communications technology. And in that major, what they do is they work a lot on music production, video production. And, so, we approached a few of the students and said, would you like to sort of sink your teeth around this particular project . And they did. I mean, they went full steam ahead, beyond our expectations, and created a music video around the first song on the cd, here we go again. Now, you guys are gonna be heading or have you to singapore and sri lanka . Yeah. Okay, tell me about that trip and what youre gonna be doing there. A little bit of singing . A little bit of teaching . Yeah, were gonna do some master classes, and were gonna do some performances. You have to feel blessed. And well be doing a European Tour next summer, as well. Okay. So youve got plans beyond this. You have to feel blessed to be able to combine the two things and to share your love of music and also your love of teaching. Yeah, and i think thats really what you used a good word, being blessed. Its really a great opportunity for us to share the talents that we have, but also helping students out. And thats really what its about. A lot of students come to Higher Education without the musical preparation. And so, therefore, what we try to do is give them some reallife applications. The theory is good, too, but to give them some reallife applications of how they can actually do it, whether its creating a music video, writing a song, or recording. Were able to sort of help the students get to that next level in their musical careers. Okay. And q a, i have to ask, where can folks find the cd . The cd will be available soon. They can get the current title track, here we go again, from itunes, amazon, cd baby, all the regular outlets. And they can check it out on markadamsjazz. Com. Markadamsjazz. Com. I am showing my age, cause i said, where can they. Just shut up. [ laughter ] how many Record Stores do we have . I know. Thats what thank you guys so much, and youll have to come back. Im really excited to see where else you take this. Yes, yes, absolutely. Thank you guys so much. And thank you for joining us on here and now. If you missed any portion of todays show, you can watch at abc7ny. And if youd like to share your story, email us at abc7ny or follow us on facebook and twitter