Force for Good, an original music and film venture founded by local Grammy-nominated composer and performer Jonathan Sprout, of Southampton, is premiering a virtual screening of its newest short film “Homeless” on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m.
The program features a conversation with Elvis Summers, founder of the Tiny House project, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles, California, whose mission is to provide emergency tiny house shelters for people who are homeless, ignored and forgotten. HomeFront of NJ will also speak about its work to end homelessness locally.
Attendees must RSVP via Eventbrite to attend the live Zoom event at tinyurl.com/y4oe5cct. The event is free, but there is a suggested donation of $10. All proceeds will benefit the Tiny House Project and HomeFront of NJ, which helps families in need of shelter, housing assistance, food, childcare, education and training.
Force for Good’s mission is to inspire and empower people to promote positive change by creating uplifting music and films that encourage personal and global wellbeing. Its original instrumental music/film collaborations highlight vital issues for humanity, including peace, safety, equality, respect for the environment, and compassion for all. The latest film “Homeless” premiered simultaneously with the second album Innocence on Feb. 1.
Innocence is a collection of inspirational contemporary instrumental compositions. These New Age pieces provide the soundtrack to topical films produced with Emmy Award-winner Rodney Whittenberg. Topics on Innocence include the environment, peace, renewable energy, reverence, yoga, poverty, homelessness and more.
“We used our classically-influenced New Age music to make a heart-rending appeal to help those who are homeless. On any given night in the United States, a half a million people are homeless,” said Sprout. “Homelessness degrades everyone. We need a massive national commitment – public and private – to ensure affordable housing for all. Helping homeless people makes both heart and wallet sense. Helping less fortunate people become productive citizens helps reduce the financial burden of costly social services.”
There are many people and organizations working to end homelessness, including Tiny House Project founder Summers. Force for Good is excited to feature him in its upcoming event. Summers builds tiny houses for the homeless in Los Angeles, which has one of the largest homeless populations in the country.
“If you want to get people clean, get them somewhere to sleep first. Then, when they get a good night’s sleep and they feel safe, you can address all the other issues,” said Summers. “It’s amazing what we can do when we come together.”
Each month, Force for Good’s new virtual screening series spotlights a local nonprofit organization that is instrumental in the community by actively serving one or more of these important issues. This month, Force for Good has chosen to spotlight HomeFront in Central New Jersey. HomeFront’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty and end homelessness. To achieve this, it harnesses the caring, resources and expertise of the community to lessen the immediate pain of homelessness and help families become self-sufficient.
HomeFront works to provide clients with the skills and opportunities to ensure adequate incomes, as well as increase the availability of adequate, affordable housing. This screening is the closing event for HomeFront’s “Week of Hope,” which provides ways for community members to get involved in the organization.
Visit forceforgoodmusic.com, thetinyhouse.org and homefrontnj.org for more information.
