514 HAPPY CAMPERS INSPIRE YOUTH ACTIVITIES IN THE ARTS

New Murfreesboro-based Nonprofit to Reach Kids Through Creativity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 19, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

(MURFREESBORO) – The enterprising, industrious trio of women behind the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp proves that sometimes good things come in threes.
This year’s day camp will provide girls ages 10-18 hands-on instruction in guitar, drums, bass, keyboard, vocals and electronic music Monday, July 31 through Saturday, Aug. 5 at MTSU.
The culmination of the camp will be the Saturday night showcase, in which the campers will display their talents in a one-of-a-kind concert based on their week-long collaborations. Doors will open at 7 p.m. The music will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets for the showcase are $5 in advance, $6 at the door.
In addition, campers will attend workshops on songwriting, recording, music journalism, photography, screen-printing and do-it-yourself arts and crafts.
Kelley Anderson founded the camp in 2003 with sponsorship from MTSU’s June Anderson Women’s Center and the student group Women 4 Women. The 22-year-old native of North Myrtle Beach, S.C. received a degree in recording industry with an emphasis in production and technology and a minor in music. She works on live sound and production with Morris Leasing in Murfreesboro.
Courtney Wood Sharpe earned her degree in English. A newlywed and a sales representative for Dell, the 23-year-old Sharpe began working with the camp in 2003. She handled planning and logistics for more than 80 girls and coordinated with their parents and the community.
Anna Fitzgerald is on track to graduate in December with a degree in art education. This 23-year-old McNair Scholar is a member of Golden Key Honour Society and has made the dean’s list in each semester since Fall 2003. She started out as a camp volunteer and fell in love with it in concept and in practice.
Under their leadership, a spontaneous exercise in community spirit has blossomed into Youth Empowerment Through Arts & Humanities (YEAH!), now the camp’s sponsoring nonprofit organization. Incorporated on May 16, YEAH! is “not just about supporting art or young people; it’s about empowering young people to be strong individuals and active participants in their community,” according to YEAH! literature.
“I think that there’s a huge need, of course, to empower women,” Anderson says. “But youth, in general, is just an overlooked demographic in our community. And I think

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that they need to be empowered by having a space where they can express themselves and do their own thing—a space that, in a sense, they run.”
To that end, the founding mothers of YEAH! are developing a Youth Culture & Arts Center (YCAC) to provide a safe place for after-school music and arts lessons. Fundraising is already underway. For more information, visit http://www.youthculturecenter.org.
Somehow while studying, working, performing music, getting married and otherwise living their own lives, these young women have found ways to devote their time and attention to girls who yearn for a fun, safe and nurturing environment in which to develop their musical talents.
“I’m not really familiar with another trio that has impacted a community as much as we have in the short time that we have,” Fitzgerald says. “It’s really nice to see people our age, as well, getting really excited about something and taking on responsibility.”
Despite their busy schedules and their diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, these women put the lie to the stereotype that women are too jealous of one another to collaborate successfully.
“I really never would have fit into the picture,” Sharpe says. “I mean, I’m not a musician. I’m not an artist. And it’s formed this bond between the three of us that has turned into something so beautiful.”
Sharpe is especially complimentary of Anderson for releasing her grip on the endeavor she had originated and trusting others enough to bring them into the fold.
“I think we all put a lot of faith in each other, and I think that’s probably what makes it successful,” Anderson says.
For more information about the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp or for advance showcase tickets, go to http://www.sgrrc.org or call 615-849-8140.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg photo of Anna Fitzgerald, Kelley Anderson and Courtney Wood Sharpe, contact Gina Logue at the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081.