(Nashville, TN) November 11, 2009 – Belfast, Ireland-based modern worship band Bluetree, whose acclaimed album, God Of This City, has become one the best selling Christian recordings this year, announces the formation of StandOut International. The new charity is an organization that has become a natural, non-profit extension of Bluetree’s pursuit of worship, music and justice. The worldwide success of Bluetree’s song, “God Of This City,” has given the band a platform for sharing its message of hope for the exploited and voiceless around the world.

“God Of This City” was written by Bluetree during a mission trip and while the band was on stage performing worship songs in the Climax Bar, a club which doubles as a brothel in the Red Light district of Pattaya, Thailand. Forever changed by what they saw in Pattaya, the band is determined to make a difference through StandOut International.

“We created StandOut International to help end child sex exploitation on a global scale, while loving, educating and releasing those rescued into the fullness of life that God has for them,” says Bluetree deejay Pete Kernoghan (“Petey K”).

“We believe that when people worship, they encounter the genuine heart of God for all humanity,” adds lead singer/guitarist Aaron Boyd. “From His platform of love, we are compelled to serve the needs of others and we ultimately become a voice for those who have no voice.”

Ways to become involved with StandOut International in its mission is through financial giving, prayer, short-term mission trips and through organizing events to raise awareness and support of those fighting to end child sex exploitation.

According to available information, one out of every five people on earth is a child at risk: at risk of malnutrition, forced labor, disease, drug addiction and abandonment. There are also risks for those working with and for struggling children. The staff and projects that provide care, the churches that offer assistance and resources, and the leaders who affect social agendas can also be vulnerable if they are not given the right support.

“Our aim is to raise awareness and channel funds through organizations who are active on the ground making a difference in children’s lives every day,” says Bluetree drummer Johnny Hobson. “As believers, we are all called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Let’s together stand out and make a difference.”

Go to www.standoutinternational.co.uk to learn how you can help.

Originally a message of hope to the people of Pattaya, “God Of This City” has now been sung in thousands of churches and auditoriums across the world. It has also become a Top 5 radio hit for the band, been sung by this year’s American Idol winner Kris Allen and been recorded by Chris Tomlin and Passion.

Bluetree also brought the song to tens of thousands through its energetic concerts in major Canadian cities and at US festivals for the first time this summer, and is bringing its brand of worship-rock to cities across the US now while on tour through November 15 with NewSong.

With an unabashed attitude of worship running through all of the songs on God Of This City, the album released March 3 on the Lucid Artist label and stayed atop the SoundScan sales charts for a full month, a remarkable feat considering the band at that time had never toured in the US or Canada. The album also received praise from critics ranging from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Belfast Telegraph to Worship Leader, ChristianMusicToday.com, CBN.com and more. With critics describing the album as “stunning,” “inspired and inspiring,” “an experience,” and calling the band the “next big leader” and “freshest sounding” with “compelling musicality,” Billboard magazine went on to say, “Look for this talented outfit to become one of the Christian market’s most enthusiastically embraced new worship bands.”

For more information on Bluetree, including a compelling acoustic video performance and explanation of the song “God Of This City,” as well as a free download of the congregation-ready song “Each Day” from its acclaimed God Of This City debut album, go to http://www.givmusic.com/bluetree.

Source: Hoganson Media Relations

We are very excited to launch our new blog design! Please take a look around and enjoy the new eye candy. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we do!

 These are a collection of images that highlight poverty from around our world. Just click the images to learn more about the story behind the images you see and the photographer.

“No!  You don’t understand me!  You NEVER understand!  I hate you!!!” she seethes in her native tongue.

She runs up the stairs, down the hallway, her loathing apparent in her rapidly shuffling feet.

The door to her bedroom slams shut.

A few moments later, a knock on the door.  Her mother gently turns the door knob but it is locked tight.

On the other side of the door, she hears her mothers soft voice, asking her, ever so gently, to open the door.

No response.

Her mother slowly plods down the hallway, whispering to her father.

Hours later, stillness.  Quiet.  Her parents have long gone to bed.

The bedroom door creeks open.   She glides down the hallway, down the stairs, breezes through the kitchen, shoving whatever food she can into her backpack, through the den, waits, listens, hears nothing… She nervously grabs hold of the door knob, takes one glance back, breathes a breathless sigh of uncertainty and disappears into the cool night air.

“They didn’t believe me” she thought.  “They never believed me.”

She had made the seemingly idle threat to run away from home no fewer than four times.

Nervous.  Terrified.  Quietly defiant.  These emotions overlapped one another, over and over, over and over, as she plodded down the moonlight streaked sidewalk.  Night still fully encompassing, yet daylight assuredly on its way.

Night slowly turns into day.

Day envelops her, promising excitement, energy, a new beginning!

Which rapidly turns to dread.  Hours roll by.  She loses herself in questions.  In regret.  In anger.  In sadness.

Sitting, quiet, alone, night beckoning once again, she looks up and sees a cute boy approaching.

“Hi” he says.

“Hi” she replies meekly.

Time rolls by.  She pours her heart out to this caring soul, this angel.

He tells her his story.  He also ran away.  He lived in the city, in the streets.  Until he found a family.  They too understand.  They love him, care for him.  They all look out for each other.

“Do you want to meet them?  They’ll really like you.  You can come and live with us!” his enthusiasm, his charm, impossible for her to resist.  A new family.  They care.  They understand me.  They KNOW me.

They walked into a strange building.  The door locked behind them.  She peered down a hallway.  Strange men lurked about.  Girls, no older than her, filed into rooms, a thoughtless, emotionless, empty expression enveloping and overwhelming their very existence. The strange, lurking men followed them into the rooms.  One by one.  One after another.

This was her new “family”.

Her hope was immediately shattered.  She screamed.  She panicked.  She fought.

They threatened her.  They beat her.  They abused her.  They molested her.

Day after day she was forced into a sickening cycle.

She fought.  She kept her spirit.

Day after sickening day.  Night after sickening night.  They said they loved her.  They said it as they forced themselves on her.  Words mean nothing.  Actions mean everything.

She fought.  She kept her spirit.

Day after sickening day.  Night after sickening night.  They said they loved her.  They said it as they abused her aching 13 year old body in every form, every fashion…

She fought.  She kept her spirit.

Who were they?  They were rarely the same.  One after another.  After another.  After another.  Day after sickening day.  Night after sickening night.

And then…

Silence.

This is not a story of redemption.

This is not a story of hope.

There is only the silence of a broken spirit.  Numb to emotion, numb to feeling, numb to life and living.

Silence.

As many as 2.8 million children live on the streets, a third of whom are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.

12 to 14 is the average age of entry into pornography and prostitution.

Between 100,000 and 300,000 children in the United States are at risk for sex trafficking each year.

Estimates say that 2 million children worldwide are exploited in the transnational sex trade.

Studies also indicate that each of these children may be victimized by 100 to 1,500 perpetrators per year.

This story is not unique.  It happens daily.  It is sick, it is perverse, it is reality.

We cannot sit by while this perpetually increases, day after sickening day, night after sickening night.

We cannot be silent.  We must be a voice for the voiceless.  These atrocities will not cease on their own.  Not with sex trafficking profits at an estimated $217.8 billion dollars per year. This equates to roughly $23,000 per victim.

Having this knowledge, are you able to sit and do nothing?  Are you able to shrug it off with indifference?

Kenny & Julie Rigsby heard the stories of these young girls being forced into sexual slavery and they could not ignore the injustice.  They started an organization called “for the silent” to bring advocacy and awareness to this, one of the great pandemics of our time.  They are bringing a voice to those who have none.

You can help.  Get involved.  Educate yourself.  Partner with an organization.  Partner with “for the silent”.

There are creative ways to get involved.  If you are an athlete, raise awareness through running a marathon.  If you are an artist, raise awareness through an art project or show and give the proceeds to an organization.  If you are a musician or a speaker, use your platform to tell others.

Whatever you choose to embrace, let it not be apathy.

May our voices scream out in unison.

For those who are enslaved to an existence without hope.

May the silent find their voice in us.

http://www.forthesilent.org/

This post was written by Jeremy Stanley. Jeremy resides in Nashville, Tennesse and is the U.S. Programs Director for Global Support . He lived and worked in Los Angeles for many years as an independent producer for television shows including “The Amazing Race” as well as projects for ABC, TLC, and Discovery and was on the production staff of film projects including “Transformers.” Jeremy is passionately driven to pursuing new avenues of visual and written communication with a purposeful intent.

Read more of Jeremy’s writing on his blog http://www.readthinkforgetrepeat.com/

Follow Jeremy on Twitter  http://twitter.com/jeremystanley

Did YOU Know?

Okay, so i’ll give you a few hints and you try to guess who it is I’m talking about. Got it? This person founded a non-profit organization to help AIDS orphans in Africa. Raised enough money to build a school in Africa for 1000 kids who were unable to attend (the closest school was 60 miles away). The next year, he or she raised enough money to build a medical testing lab/ voluntary counseling center in Sinazongwe, Zambia to test and treat victims of AIDS/HIV. With the help of the non-profit this mystery person founded, there will be enough money raised by the end of this year to build a second medical testing facility in Chilala, Zambia. This clinic will specialize in preventing and treating mother to baby transmission of the AIDS virus.

Have you figured it out yet? No, it’s not Bono or Oprah. Any more guesses? The person I’m talking about is just 14 years old! His name is Austin Gutwein and his charity is Hoops of Hope.

The Heart of the Matter

Awareness, education, and action change lives.  The UN estimated that every 14 seconds a child loses a parent to AIDS. It has also been said that 100 people die a day of AIDS in Zambia. 50% of those in Zambia are under the age of 15; many are orphans already and left to support themselves and their younger siblings. It has been estimated, that 1.5 million AIDS orphans in Zambia will be homeless by 2010. This year Austin Gutwein will turn 15 and what he says is still true, “… given the opportunity, kids will blow you away.”

If A Kid Can Do It, So Can You

Founded in 2004, Hoops of Hope began after 10 year old Austin and his family watched a World Vision video depicting children in Africa whose parents died as a result of AIDS/HIV. The video, a story about a young girl named Maggie, allowed Austin to have a profound revelation. Maybe the revelation wasn’t the profound part, but that it was a child, like Austin, who made the connection between himself and children like him halfway around the world. “These children aren’t any different from me, the only thing different about them is that they are suffering,” Austin says. How did he decide to help? By doing what he loves and knows best, shooting hoops.

On World AIDS Day, 2004, Austin decided to shoot 2057 free throws. He shot 2057 to represent the number of children who are orphaned as a result of AIDS every day while he’s at school. People signed up to sponsor him and he was able to raise $3000. He gave the money to World Vision’s Hope Initiative and they used it to give hope and support to 8 orphans in Africa.

Hoops of Hope has now raised 1 million dollars and is providing food, medical assistance, shelters, educational opportunities, and counseling to thousands of AIDS victims and their families. This is still not enough……

Hoops of Hope projects

In 2006, HOH participants helped raise over $85,000 to build the first school within 60 miles of Twachiyanda, Zambia. Click here, to read more about HOH 2006 project. 

With the school completed, HOH decided to step out in faith and raise the bar a little bit higher in 2007. This time, hoping to raise enough money to erect a medical testing lab and voluntary counseling center in Sinazongwe, Zambia. To read more about the medical testing lab/counseling center, click here.

In 2008 – 2009 Hoops of Hope is planning to build a second medical testing lab and voluntary counseling center; this time in Chilaya, Zambia. To learn more information about this years project, click here. 

Get In On the Action

Here’s how you can help…

The 2008 – 2009 budget to be raised is $462,000 USD. You can be a part and help raise money to build this much needed clinic!

Sign up! If you, your church, school, or team are interesting in raising money for AIDS orphans by participating in a Hoops of Hope event.

Volunteer! If you aren’t any good at shooting free throws (all shots are counted whether you make it or not) and would still like to help, here’s an opportunity for you to volunteer at an upcoming HOH shoot-a-thon.

Host an HOH event! Tell your pastor or principle that you want to utilize their facilities and get behind this cause.

For more information on World Vision’s Hope Initiative, click here.

To see the World Vision video that prompted Austin to found Hoops of Hope; here is the story of a young orphan girl named Maggie and her struggle for survival. Click here.

Did YOU Know?

“What am I doing to change the world?”

This I should ask myself more often. Until now, I can’t remember the last time I paused and thought about it. I would like to say that I had a dream where God said to me… Maybe a moment of clarity or a daunting revelation that I couldn’t ignore, but no, it did not happen this way. A close friend asked me to research the global phenomenon of child trafficking. It was in the midst of this research that I began to understand why organizations like World Vision are dedicated to eradicating slavery and why I should be involved.

If you happen to feel bombarded by such heavy usage of words like: child trafficking, child sex tourism, child slaves, then please let me explain. Trafficking in children is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation.  They can be exploited in many ways:

• Prostitution
• Forced labor
• Involuntary servitude

This burdens me deeply… I can’t help but to think what I would do if this were my own child….

The Heart of the Matter

Here are a few things we can think about…

 While we contemplate whether or not we have time in between flossing, Facebook, and Grey’s Anatomy to help join in the fight against child sex trafficking. The statistics are truly sobering.

• 2 million+ children exploited in the sex trade today.
• 60% are young females between the ages of 12-18.
• 1.2 million children are trafficked annually.

It has been reported that children as young as five have been sold for sex. I have read accounts stating that these children can be raped up to 30 times a night. It has been said that two children are sold into trafficking every single minute. Beaten, starved, and desperate for our help; we need to unite our voices and let these children know they are not alone in their fight.

The trafficking statistics listed above can be found at  http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/globalissues-childprotection-sexexploit

Who is helping…

United in their efforts, World Vision has partnered with law enforcement agencies, national governments, and other organizations to fight the global epidemic of child sex-tourism by launching the Child Sex Tourism Prevention Project.  World Vision is executing this project in many of the countries ravaged by sex-tourism: Thailand, Cambodia, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, and the United States. With support from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, World Vision is committed to using its combined expertise to change the lives of these children.

See the steps World Vision is taking to addressing the problem by clicking Here

Get In On The Action

Here’s how World Vision says you can help….

• Become a child in crisis sponsor.

These children need our help! Click here to find how you can sponsor a child in crisis.

• Report an American child sex tourist.

If you, or anyone you know, has information about a person who has/ is planning to exploit a child, please contact the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

E-mail the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),
Operation Predator: operation.predator@DHS.gov

Or call the ICE hotline: 1-866-347-2423

• Advocacy

Make your voice heard! Ask congress to double up on the amount of resources provided in order to prosecute and convict those who are exploiting innocent children worldwide.

For more advocacy information, click here.

You may not be able to do all these things, but start with one. As I have found, when injustice has the face of a child, it is impossible not to respond with action. In the time it took for you to read this blog, over 8 children have become victims of trafficking.

The time to act is now.

It’s an exotic vacation destination, with ancient cities, bold colors, legendary temples, remarkable beauty — and horrendous crimes that go on behind closed doors. Children, some as young as 5 years old, are being sold as slaves for sex. It’s a shameful secret that’s now capturing the attention of the world and the White House, a secret that has been exposed. Where do sexual predators gain access to terrified children for a handful of cash? How could this be happening? And how can it be stopped?

Inside the world of child sex trafficking, each year, by some estimates, hundreds of thousands of girls and boys are bought, sold or kidnapped and then forced to have sex with grown men.

The night clubs of Bangkok and the windows of Amsterdam are among the most well-known destinations in what has become a multibillion-dollar industry: sex tourism. There are some places a sexual predator would be willing to travel halfway around the world to reach — destinations like a dusty village in Southeast Asia, where the prey is plentiful and easy to stalk…

Amid surging food prices, child malnutrition, violent unrest and the prospect of prolonged food shortages, one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations has announced a potential 1.5 million drop in the number of people receiving its food assistance.

World Vision, whose work includes providing nearly 450,000 metric tons of food in some 30 countries, cites the soaring cost of food and unmet donor-nation aid commitments for a potential 23 percent decrease in the number of people it is able to supply with food aid this year.

“Despite our best efforts, more than a million of our beneficiaries are no longer receiving food aid,” said Dean Hirsch, president of World Vision…