Red Cross' "Youth Run 4 Haiti" Raises Relief Funds In Santa Monica

On  January 23, actor Josh Duhamel and the Santa Monica Red Cross joined forces to sponsor a two mile run to raise money and awareness for the American Red Cross' relief effort in Haiti.  Duhamel, best known for his roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Transformers series, and of course, for marrying Fergie, hosted the event with enormous style and elegance.  The actor took time with every fan who approached, him signed every autograph and spoke eloquently about the plight of the people of Haiti and how young people in America can make a difference.

Numerous movie, TV and sports figures came out to support the effort, including Wizard's of Waverly Place and Miley Cyrus beau, Gregg Sulkin, The Bachelor's Matt Grant, Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp, Glee's Agron, pop star Jordan Johnson, Twilight's Charlie Bewley, Model and Actress Molly Sims, The Spy Next Door's Madeline Carroll and Will Shadley, Disney's Christmas Carol's Sammi Hantatty, pop star Drew Seeley, E!'s Amy Paffrath and High School Musical's Olesya Rullin.  My Teen Topix's contributing writer, Oliver Peake also ran in support of the Red Cross.

Duhamel estimated attendance at about 3,000 people, with each runner contributing at least $10 to participate.  Although the run was focused on youth, many adults also came out to run or to just support the kids with their donations.  The peakPRgroup's  Christine Peake and Ben Decker helped organize this very successful event.
photos by Allan Peach ©2010 Click To Enlarge

Thousands of runners of all ages took part in the event

My Teen Topix's Oliver Peake was one of the first runners to cross the finish line

A triumphant runner finishes the two mile run in the sun

Olivia Smith Running to help the Red Cross

Runners came from schools and communities throughout Southern California

The Dodger's Matt Kemp and friends lent their support

The spirit of the event

Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp takes time with the fans

E!'s Amy Paffrath

Twilight Saga's Charlie Bewley (Demetri)

Volturi Vampires Support the Red Cross and not just the Blood Drive

peakPRgroup's Christine Peake helps to coordinate activities

Don Brooks of Don-A-Matrix training, who helped come up with the idea for the event

Matt Kemp scores with fans

Disney stars Drew Seeley, and Jordan Johnson ran for Haiti relief

Matt Grant "The Bachelor"

Hollywood came out in force to support the American Red Cross

Team Bewley

Matt Kemp's winning smile

Ben Decker, Gregg Sulkin, Millicent Sheridan, Josh Duhamal, and Christine Peake

Greg Sulkin, Josh Duhamel, and Jordan Johnson

Josh Duhamel with American Red Cross Santa Monica Chapter leaders Marcia Caldrola and Rob Amonic, M.D.

Heroes L.A. County Fire Fighter Malibu Air Attack Division

Diligently Collecting Donations

Pro Race Car Driver Danny Bopp with Jake Kloberdanz

Josh Duhamel and American Red Cross of Santa Monica Board Chair Dr. Rob Amonic accept a check from St. Martin of Tours School for $1000

Man of the hour Josh Duhamal with a young fan after a phenomenal fundraiser in Santa Monica

Poetry by Peake

Should we question war?  Oliver Peake asks The Million Dead Questions.  It is up to us to answer Why?

The Million Dead Questions

By

Oliver Peake

I am afraid.

Wondering if I will make it through

They say we need to stop them

Who?

We are the terrorists

Not them

We are the ones invading

We have lost over 100,000 troops

They tell us not to watch the news,

It will discourage us.

I think we all know

Most of us will not make it through

But we all wonder.

Who will?

I look around and see scared men praying

Praying for their loved ones

Praying for themselves

We are all in the helicopter, almost there.

We look death in the eyes

For what?

Eco-friendliness Tip For The Day

Avoid products that are packaged in single-use containers.  Try to buy in bulk to save package waste

Bob Marley 

by Masha Chernitskaya

Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945. “Bob” Marley was raised in a small village called Nine Mile in Jamaica. Nine Mile is an extremely poor area of Jamaica and because Marley came from mixed race parents he grew up with a lot of prejudice against him from other villagers. His mother, Cedella Booker was an Afro-Jamaican and his father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was an English man. His father was a sailor, and was therefore rarely at home, so Marley was raised exclusively by his mother. When Marley was growing up, Jamaican music was mainly in the Calypso and Mento style, but by the time he was a teenager, American Rock & Roll and R&B became extremely popular in Jamaica. Marley liked that music so much, that at the age of fourteen, he dropped out of school and started his first band. His initial records weren’t very popular, but later, he became a hit when he teamed up with Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverly Kelso, and Cherry Smith to form a Ska band, “The Teenagers.” Ska was a type of music that was based on American Rock & Roll but with the accent on the offbeat. The band eventually changed its name to “The Wailers,” and were given a record contract when they were discovered by a major Jamaican record producer.

When Marley was just settling in with his new band, the more established group, “Toots and the Maytals” became a large influence on his music. Toots wrote a new hit called “Do the Reggay,” and Marley loved the song so much, that instead of singing Ska and rock music, he switched genres and soon was writing great songs to the Reggae beat.

In 1974, English rock star Eric Clapton made a hit cover of Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” making Marley and instant success in both England and America. Fans started to search out Marley and his music.

Marley was also influenced by his Rastafari Religion and the politics of a divided Jamaica. The Rastafari Religion forbids eating meat so Marley became vegetarian. When Marley and the Wailers gave a free concert to try to ease tensions between two political groups, it upset a few radicals from one of the groups. They got so angry that they went to Marley’s house and took out there guns. Marley, his wife, and his manager all were shot. Marley was hit in the chest and arm, but the damage to Marley was very minor compared to that of his wife and manager, who received very serious wounds. Despite the shooting, Marley went on stage with a substitute band and bravely preformed the concert, as The Wailers were too scared to come out of hiding. In 1976, Marley moved to England where he had some of his biggest hits, such as “Jammin’” and “Exodus.” When he returned to Jamaica, things had changed enough politically, that he was able to give another concert where the two warring political groups shook hands on stage.

While playing soccer with friends, Marley suffered an injury that developed into acral lentiginous melanoma - a kind of skin cancer. Instead of going to a traditional doctor, Marley went to a German doctor who put him on a special diet, instead of prescribing typical Western cancer treatments. When his cancer worsened, Marley tried to fly back home to Jamaica, but his illness forced him to stop in Miami, Florida where he ended up dying. Sadly he was only 36 years old.

Bob Marley influenced hundreds of fellow musicians and his contributions to Reggae music helped spread its popularity throughout the world. When Marley gave a concert at the Roxy in Los Angeles, in 1976, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan, Carole King, and Bernie Taupin all cheered him from the audience. Bob Marley also influenced Sting and The Police, Blondie, The Specials, The Clash, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other musicians. Bob Marley, despite his poor beginnings, brought people together and changed the world of music.

Poetry by Peake

This week's poem by Oliver Peake talks about the thin line between life and death.

Russian Roulette

By

Oliver Peake

Click click bang bang

Pete’s dead, my turn now

I take the revolver and spin the cylinder

Click, click, click, I nervously push the cylinder back in

And right before I pull the trigger

I think

I think that if I were to die

Or kill myself

I think about going

To see my Mom and seeing her one more time

Sitting in a chair worrying about the war

And wondering if I am safe

So I prayer that there will be no bullet

I pull the trigger

And

Click, no bullet

No leaving my life to chance where

Death is rolling the dice.

Youth Run 4 Haiti This Saturday Jan 23, 2010

This Saturday, the Santa Monica Red Cross is having a charity event, called Youth Run 4 Haiti, to raise money for Haiti relief.   Everyone is welcome, but kids and teens will be the real fundraisers.  There is a minimum donation of $10, either cash or check.  If you pay by check, make the check out to Red Cross of Santa Monica and write Haiti at the bottom.  If you are under 18, please fill out a parental consent form at: http://www.redcrossofsantamonica.org/custom/10/1076/misc/Parental_Consent_Form.pdf

Registration starts at 9 am and the run begins at 10 am.  Runners will assemble at Beach Parking lot #1, where Ocean Blvd. meets 2600 Barnard Way (Ocean Park Blvd. at the beach) in Santa Monica, CA 90405

Look for some celebrities like actor Josh Duhamel of The Transformers (Fergie's husband), and American Idol's Ryan Seacrest.  My Teen Topix hopes to see its readers there and running for this great cause.  The run is only 2 miles, so even newbie runners can participate.

Eco-friendliness Tip For The Day

When you need paper for homework, buy recycled paper.

Haiti, How You Can Help

We have all seen the devastation of the city of Port-au-Prince, in Haiti.  Some have received emails soliciting help for the earthquake victims.  If  you want to help, do not answer any emails from unknown organizations, they are often scams.  Instead, please give to one or more of the following legitimate charities who are diligently helping the rescue the people of this small Caribbean island:

For immediate help text "Haiti" to 90999.  A donation or $10 will be sent to the Red Cross and the donation will be charged to your phone bill.

If you text "Yele" to 501501 a donation of $5 dollars will be sent to Wyclef Jean's organization Yele Haiti, and again the donation will be charged to your cell phone bill.

Other organizations accepting donations include:


UNICEF
Lutheran World Relief
Doctors Without Borders
American Jewish World Service
American Red Cross
The Salvation Army, 800-725-2769
Haiti Children
Haitian Health Foundation
Oxfam
Operation USA
World Relief

Clicking on any of the above links will take you to the organizations' web pages, where you will find information on how to donate to make a difference in Haiti

Poetry by Peake

Oliver looks back on 9/11, and its impact on our nation and our souls.

9/11

By

Oliver Peake

I remember it like it was yesterday

Watching the plane crash into the first tower

Then another into the second tower

A movie perhaps?

Groups of people screaming, running, dust everywhere

The sound of the fire trucks racing

 Carrying their brave passengers to their ultimate deaths

The two twin roofs are pouring thick black smoke into a shocked sky

Motionless

Time stands still

2 painful hours pass, they crumble in a loud roar

They are gone,

Rubble and dust everywhere

The souls of the 2,993 are gone including the hijackers

Now the Freedom Tower is built

What price for Freedom?

Eco-friendliness Tip For The Day

Rechargeable batteries save money and reduce non recyclable trash.  Use them instead of disposable batteries.

Poetry by Peake

Oliver Peake is back for the New Year with a thoughtful poem about World War II and our duty toward others.

World War II

By

Oliver Peake

I risk my life every day to help

To help them all, my family, my friends

I help to sneak them to Sweden

Each time, I feel so scared

But happy after

I know I have helped someone

Helped someone live and be free

I do not know if the Nazi’s will go over there

But if they do

I will be sure to help them again

Even if I lose my own life doing it

I would have at least lived

And maybe made a difference

Maybe their family tree can grow from a seed

Into a towering redwood

Happy New Year

After a brief vacation for the holidays, My Teen Topix is happy to be back publishing our Blog.  For a holiday surprise go to Google.com, leave the Search field blank and click on "I'm Feeling Lucky." You'll get a nice animated holiday greeting.

Mississippi: The Marvelous Magnificent Magnolia State by Masha Chernitskaya

I could see the teal gulf all the way to the luminous horizon.  I could feel the pure white sand in between my toes. The soft breeze was blowing on my dark brown eyes. I could smell hot coffee from a café far off. I was at the beautiful man-made beaches of Mississippi. I understand, if you are a city person, you might dislike this, but there are some pretty magnificent things about Mississippi.

Boom! Our car startled a squirrel nearby.  While we weren’t moving I took a look at the lush green trees next to the babbling, broad river. I could not imagine anything more beautiful than this.  I was in the middle of a small forest nearby the Mississippi River.

When you visit Mississippi, be sure to go to the city of Biloxi, where the famous lighthouse overlooks the coastline.  You can go in the tippy-top and see a captivating view, especially at sunset.  This lighthouse is only a short distance away from the Gulf of Mexico, with its sugar white beaches.

 “Bald Eagle, Bald Eagle,” I screamed.  Standing right in front of us was a broad and bold bird.  His feathers were out and his shoulders, too.  He had a small grin on his face, as he flew away.  We had lots of fun bird watching in the Mississippi River Valley.

Last but not least, the people were extremely friendly like a fresh breath of air in a stuffy room. They made me feel welcome and at home.  One day I met a little girl named Lola Snow.  She was only two years old, but she knew everything you could know about the State of Mississippi. Her burnt amber crayon danced and flew across the paper, as she wrote a list for me of engaging activities to do in Mississippi.  She waved her hand goodbye like a scarecrow’s arm, blowing in the dusty wind, as we parted. Lola is bright, beautiful and happy like the sun reflecting off the Mississippi River at dawn.

Our trip to Mississippi was full of adventure, like an exciting dream I hated to wake up from.  It was full of life like a newborn dandelion.  It was full of love like a family hugging.  The new friends I made, the lovely birds I saw, and the majestic lighthouses I visited, were a scrapbook of great memories.

photo by Ellen Maze