"Helping the homeless, one song at a time." That was the headline that caught my eye on CNN.com about a week ago. A musician's story about helping the homeless through music pulled me in immediately.
Chris Leamy is a 29-year-old musician living in New York City. As a street performer, he often leaves his guitar case open while he entertains the people of New York, hoping they'll drop a few bucks in. One day, while he was playing in a subway station, a homeless woman came up to him and told him that her life would be much easier if she had a guitar. It became apparent to Leamy that the homeless and less fortunate would be much more likely to get some money if they had talent. While the majority of people ignore street musicians, many are keen to drop in a dollar if they enjoy the music they hear as they pass the musician on the street.
So Leamy did something so beautiful and admirable: he decided to perform new songs on a weekly basis as a way to make extra money, as a means of earning money for a homeless companion.
But he then took it a step further. Leamy, equipped with his B.A. in Economics and a sales and trading day job, created an online campaign called #HePlaysForMe, which has already successfully helped out an impoverished friend of his find housing and a job. He ultimately raised $4,000 in one 30-day donation challenge.
Music compels people to do good things. Our music is a gift, but when someone is in need, it's up to us to use our gift to aid them.
Almost a year into Leamy's project, he was rewarded for all of the good he was doing and landed a distribution deal with RED, Sony's distribution arm. He released a music video on September 2nd, closely followed by a full EP on September 16th. His experience with the homeless is strongly reflected in his new song, which includes his homeless friend Miguel Correa making a guest appearance in the music video.
Leamy's overall goal is to shed light on the homeless community and humanize them. We often pass by the homeless as if they just exist as part of the wall they lean up against, or the park bench they fall asleep on in the middle of the day. The idea of using music to raise both money and awareness that the homeless are just as much humans as the rest of us is truly beautiful. It's people like Leamy who use music to create good and have a positive impact on society, no matter how small it may be. This story should be the first of many, inspiring the rest of us to use our gifts and talents to help those who are not as fortunate as we are.
I hope to give back someday too. I hope to help someone who is less fortunate than myself with the creation of music; what a beautiful way to send positive vibes out into this world.
