聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 In 1985 a group of well known Canadian artists came together to create a charity single called, 鈥淭ears Are Not Enough,鈥� under the name Northern Lights to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Now, 30-years later, a group of Canadian artists will re-record the song to help eliminate homelessness in Victoria and bring awareness to the issue across Canada.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Jon Ede, an Executive Producer in Victoria, when he was trying to help a friend find a place to stay for the night. It was raining and Ede wondered why they weren鈥檛 allowing more people into the shelter. He found the staff was being rude and ignorant as they turned not only his friend away, but others as well.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Later he contacted another friend who directed him to an article, 鈥淪ocks are not enough,鈥� which addressed the hardships of those living on the streets. Immediately Ede thought of the song, 鈥淭ears Are Not Enough.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 decided to jump on board and help out how I could,鈥� Ede explained. 鈥淚 approached the mayor, Lisa Helps, and pitched the idea. Music brings people together.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪he thought it was an amazing idea, so with my reputation and the people I know I thought I would get to work. Homelessness needs to end, making a dent isn鈥檛 enough. If you put a book on a balloon the balloon鈥檚 top is flattened, but when you remove the book the balloon expands again.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ede鈥檚 personal goal with the project is to raise $200,000 to help end homelessness, while he also hopes to raise awareness and inspire others to do a part.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淣ext time you walk by an alcove and see a curled up sleeping bag think to yourself: you get to go home, you can cook for yourself, you get to sleep in a warm bed, you can turn the heater up, you can have a shower,鈥� Ede said. 鈥淔or a lot of people out there they wake up to the flashlight of a police officer and are told to move on or they wake up looking at a concrete wall.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淓veryone deals with situations in different ways and for some of them going to the liquor store when they wake up is one of those ways. They would love to sleep for seven or eight hours, to go to a job interview, but they鈥檙e concerned with where their next meal is coming from. They鈥檙e not happy and that鈥檚 not what they want; all they really want is their respect and dignity back, they would love to wake up, have a shower, and go to a job.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ede鈥檚 passion to help people has inspired others to join his cause. He has 22 vocalists willing to participate in the project and it has been swelling in numbers over the past few days with more asking to be in the choir.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Included in the list of contributing artists to this project is a local singer, Tammy Palmer of Arcola, SK.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淢usic was always around me growing up,鈥� Palmer explained. 鈥淚 was raised in foster care and I always sang, first in the children鈥檚 choir then the adult choir in church. It鈥檚 a universal language and when you鈥檙e struggling in life music can bring peace and serenity to you.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Palmer grew up in British Columbia and Manitoba, with family on occasion and within foster care at other times. Eventually she made the decision, at the age of 17, to leave. She had gone through 32 foster homes and two failed adoptions. This spurred her to make a change in her life.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This change, however, was one which left her on the streets: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 regret the decision,鈥� Palmer explained. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of who I am today and makes me stronger for it.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 From 18-years-old to 23/24, Palmer says she lived on the streets of Victoria. Music therefore became even more important to her as she began busking to earn money on the streets. She ran into troubles though finding herself an addict and struggling to stop the cycle.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚鈥檇 try to clean up and I鈥檇 be on assistance so would have an apartment, but would lose it because of my addiction,鈥� Palmer explained. 鈥淚 remember breaking into buildings that were abandoned just to sleep.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 had help though and I got out, I鈥檓 considered a success, a statistic, but that鈥檚 not how I see myself. I see myself as a survivor. People reached out, I got treatment, and I got cleaned up.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Shortly after becoming clean she found herself moving to Saskatchewan, arriving in January of 2008 with her now husband, Anson Palmer.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It was because of her past that Palmer was eager to help Ede in Victoria with his project to raise awareness and funds for homelessness in Canada.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The two first met in 2003, while Palmer was still struggling on the streets when she tried out for the contest Canadian Icon, a Canadian Idol contest focused on Vancouver Island being run by Ede. Palmer won this contest and is recording the song, 鈥淢y Heart Will Go On,鈥� originally performed by Celine Dion.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Over the years Palmer and Ede kept in contact.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淗e has asked me to come out there and do different music projects, but nothing ever really felt right. It wasn鈥檛 right for me or wasn鈥檛 the right time,鈥� Palmer stated. 鈥淭wo-months ago he contacted me about becoming involved with this project to raise awareness of people on the street and I am all about that!鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Palmer stressed the importance of addressing homelessness across Canada.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淧eople need to realize that it doesn鈥檛 matter who you are or what job you have that you can become homeless,鈥� Palmer stated. 鈥淣o one is invincible and this is an epidemic in the country, and I call it an epidemic because it is.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 According to the website, Raising the Roof, approximately 35,000 Canadians experience homelessness any night, while approximately 235,000 people, including youth and families, experience homelessness per year. Of this 20 percent are between the ages of 16 and 24.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he cause is too great to ignore,鈥� Palmer said. 鈥淚 believe in what Jon is doing and believe in what we鈥檙e doing. For someone who grew up in the city and to move to the country, where there鈥檚 nothing around for miles, my home is here in Saskatchewan, but my heart will forever be with those kids on the street which is why they called me Mama Red.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 She believes so much in what Ede is doing that she is raising money through selling loom bracelets in order to put together bagged lunches and sanitary bags to hand out to people on the street in Victoria when she goes to record the song.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Through this fundraising technique, Palmer is thankful to the Arcola Hotel patrons and the community in supporting this initiative, but in helping her raise the funds to obtain a ticket to fly to Victoria to participate in the recording of 鈥淭ears Are Not Enough.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The song, which Palmer says is fitting as tears are often shed by those on the street, will be recorded on March 1.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淢y idea is to stay close to the original, but to make it our own,鈥� Ede explained. 鈥淥nce recording is done and the song is mastered we鈥檒l have a link up on our website to buy the song for a dollar or to donate if people want.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 For more information or to pre-order the song visit, www.eandlrecords.com.
