What do you get when you mix a newspaper, a group of talented artists and a deserving cause?
You get the Toledo Free Press’ second annual summer CD, “Red, White & You, Too!”
This year’s CD released on July 3 at Frisch’s Big Boy and Ralphie’s restaurants across Northwest Ohio.
As Editor-in-Chief of the paper, Michael Miller has established two major philanthropic works, one of which is the summer CD. The project will benefit the Disaster Relief Fund and Services to Armed Forces wings of the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio.
“On a professional level, because the community has responded so strongly to Toledo Free Press and its mission, we have an obligation to use our format to give back to the community,” Miller said.
Miller also had a personal experience with the Red Cross back in 1985, when the apartment building he and his family lived in caught fire.
“It was the American Red Cross and the United Way that sheltered and clothed and shoed and blanketed and got my little family back on its feet. I’ve never forgotten how quick those organizations were to respond,” Miller said.
The first summer CD came out in summer of 2013 and raised more than $10,000. Miller said he hopes the amount raised this year is even greater and the CD’s impact is felt across Northwest Ohio.
“I want [listeners] to be excited by how much local talent there is,” Millers said. “I want them to hear these songs and say, ‘What a band. What a vocalist. What a great song.’”
What’s new in the Red Cross?
Since last year’s CD launched, CEO Tim Yenrick said the Red Cross has used the funds throughout their disaster services unit.
“The dollars raised from the CD were very important to us this year,” Yenrick said. “Obviously with the intensity of our winter this year, we saw a marked increase in disaster services. We responded to home fires and weather related incidents.”
Yenrick said he believes the CD is a fun way to raise money and achieve their goals.
“I think it’s a very unique way to raise dollars and also to get our mission message across in the community,” Yenrick said. “[Our mission is] to alleviate human suffering during disasters and individual crisis.”
Yenrick said he was a fan of last year’s CD project and his favorite tracks were Chrys Peterson’s “The Dock Of The Bay” and the Put-In-Bay trilogy. He added that he has even higher hopes for this year.
“I’m pretty excited about all the original songs” Yenrick said. “[Miller] does such a great job of working with the artists and I’m sure it’s going to be an outstanding CD.”
Yenrick extended his personal thanks to Miller, Thomas Pounds, the artists and Big Boy restaurants for their support during the project.
“I know Mike has worked very hard and the local artists are just great in working with us on the project,” Yenrick said.
Yenrick said he wants the public to know that the Red Cross is steadfast in its dedication to the Northwest Ohio Area.
“We are here, ready to respond, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day and we appreciate financial support,” Yenrick said. “We also appreciate our volunteers who provide 95% of our service in the community. We’re always here ready to respond to a natural disaster and to work with our military families and to provide health and safety training throughout the community.”
Amanda Aldrich, communications specialist for the area Red Cross, said she regards altruism highly.
“It’s genuine selflessness and heartfelt compassion,” Aldrich said. “It’s looking outside yourself and offering what you have: talents, time, money, to make things better for someone else. It can be big or it can be small, but everything you do can make a difference.”
A Red Cross success story:
On September 7, 2013, Tina Zeiter was preparing to celebrate her daughter’s wedding. The event was set for the following week at Zeiter house. Family gathered and worked tirelessly to prepare the space for a memorable day.
No one could have foreseen what happened at 12:30 a.m. on September 8.
Zeiter awoke to her grandson Chase’s cries and ran out to find the house enveloped in smoke. Her first thought: find grandchildren Chase, 9, and Savanna, 4.
“Before I realized it, I had swallowed a big gulp of heavy, black smoke,” Zeiter said. “I didn’t think to cover my mouth at the time, only to get the kids out of the room. I grabbed the kids; Chase was still on the bed and was helping me look for Savanna on the lower bed. He could see her only because she had put the light-up bracelets on her bear’s wrist and she had the bear beside her, still asleep.”
Zeiter’s family made it outside, but the emotional toll the incident took was massive.
“It’s almost as if you go numb,” Zeiter said. “Even today, I can still feel the emotions go through me. It’s almost unexplainable, it’s like you are falling and can’t stop and no one is there to catch you. You just go through the movements, answer the questions, but you are in a daze. To have the weight of responsibility on your shoulders alone for the safety of your own children and grandchildren, as well as the loss of your house is unimaginable.”
Zeiter said from the moment she stepped out of the house, Red Cross of Northwest Ohio was ready to help.
“The Red Cross helped by arranging a place for us to stay for the first two nights and providing us with a debit card to be used to purchase food and clothing,” Zeiter said. “ We only had the pajamas on our backs when we left the house. I had grabbed a jacket in my bedroom as I raced out, but that was it. We didn’t even have shoes to wear.”
What really stood out to Zeiter was the emotional support she gained from the organization.
“It was when I finally sat down in the truck and listened to the volunteers that I finally began to cry,” Zeiter said. “It was like I needed to be strong in front of my family, but my family wasn’t in the truck. The Red Cross team was very comforting. I felt as if I didn’t have to bear all the weight, that someone else was going to take charge now and tell me what to do.”
Since early this year, Zeiter and her family have been living in their newly renovated home, courtesy of contractor Cousino Harris.
“When I wake up in the morning or when I go home at night, I am struck by the sense of appreciation I have for the people who have touched my life and have been there for me, whether it be the Red Cross as a support, the contractor rebuilding my home, the insurance representative, friends and family, that have been there to support me and my family. I am truly thankful for their role in my life,” Zeiter said.
The funds from this year’s CD will help guarantee that, in the event of such tragedy, the Red Cross can step in and save a family some of the added pain.
“People should know that those working for the Red Cross are clearly very special people,” Zeiter said. “Most of us may never cross paths with the Red Cross, but those of us who will, the Red Cross is as much of a financial support, providing food, clothing and shelter, as they are an emotional support.”
A volunteer’s perspective:
Bo McComas has been a volunteer with the Red Cross for years.
“When I retired, a friend of mine said I might want to consider the Red Cross because I absolutely love helping people,” McComas said. “I decided to advance and I’m a volunteer supervisor now. I just love it.”
McComas assists in the local Disaster Action Team (DAT), which deals with fires and other similar incidents. He also flies around the country to assist in repairs following tornados and hurricanes.
“I’m also a Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) worker,” McComas said. “When there is a death or an illness in the family of the service member, the Red Cross will give the notification to the service member. I follow up and make sure the service member was able to make it home.”
The last year has seen much activity for McComas.
“I have responded to three natural disasters and I have reached four house fires,” McComas said. “I’m in the middle of five SAF cases as we speak, doing follow ups for the military.”
McComas said people should become aware that the Red Cross does projects with the intention of letting victims recover at their own pace.
“We offer the shelter, food and clothing,” McComas said. “The way we do that is we actually give them a credit card. That makes them independent and allows them to do their own recovery.”
This year’s donation will ensure volunteers like McComas have the means to assist in future disasters.
Artists take control:
“Red, White & You, Too!” is different from previous Toledo Free Press charity projects because almost every track is an original both written and performed by the artist.
“I’ve always relied on cover songs because they’re well known and it’s an easier sell,” Miller said. “When music began to come in for this year’s summer project, the originals were so outstanding and they were so professionally recorded and produced, I lost that fear.”
The selection process was extensive, as Miller had to sort through the nearly 40 submissions to find the songs that really spoke to the theme of the project.
“My methodology is to play them in the car, everywhere I go, which means in the middle of January’s deep freeze I’m playing these summer tracks,” Millers said. “Only through repeated exposure can you figure out how they fit together and how they work off each other.”
Miller has worked with a few of the artists on previous projects, but many new voices grace this year’s summer project.
“It’s easy to get comfortable and rely on some of the same artists,” Millers said. “I know they would answer the call. For the health of the project and for my personal interest in the project, working with new artist is an important step. It’s important to challenge yourself and not get complacent.”
Summer CD staples Kyle White and Pat Dailey, who Miller said is the definition of summer music, did make this year’s track list. Miller said he did make an effort to include some newcomers whose contributions really stood out.
“Having new groups like Thirsty Houligans, Zak Ward or Birds of Chicago contribute really did freshen up the project for me personally and I hope that is communicated to the listeners as well,” Miller said.
Mighty’s mighty contribution:
Matt Fehr, professionally known as Mighty Wyte, has been donating studio time to Miller’s CD projects for years.
Though he said his role is much greater on the Christmas CD, the Red Cross project also receives a good deal of his input.
“I basically assist with final assembly, trimming any ‘dead’ space at the front or back of any song, making sure all artist and song information is correctly entered and ‘CD Text’ is enforced,” Fehr said. “I burn the final ‘Red Book’ and give it to Miller for final inspection before it’s sent out and pressed.”
Fehr first got involved with these projects a few years back because Miller is a close friend and giving back is something he strongly endorses.
“I can help a lot of people and some great causes just by gifting my talent,” Fehr said. “It’s one of those things where I can turn grains of sand into pearls.”
Giving to charities like Red Cross, Fehr said, can only benefit in the long run.
“People say ‘treat others as you wish to be treated’ but rarely practice it,” Fehr said. “So to help someone or some charitable organization out just makes good karmic sense.”
Fehr also commends Miller’s dedication to his charity projects.
“Miller takes on a great deal of the workload when it comes to all of these projects,” Fehr said. “He’s entirely too humble about how much work he puts into these things and doesn’t mind hiding from the general public just how much time and effort goes into these things.”
Fehr considers Miller a close friend, so the project provides him with a short quality time with the editor.
“He’s an amazing guy and he’s insanely busy,” Fehr said. “So to get a few hours a year to just work with him on a project is pretty fun.”
Fehr is proud of this year’s project and says the team who worked on it was dedicated to create an amazing CD.
“Me, the other engineers who work on the audio and the people who contribute music work very hard to create a quality catalog of music,” Fehr said. “We’re not selling hack-job recordings of poorly arranged or unfamiliar material. Everything is produced as well as it can be, engineered as well as it can be and packaged like any other off-the-shelf CD.”
