Quad Cities On-line (September 30, 2008)
The Dispatch (October 1, 2008)
October 1, 2008
Performing arts troupe dramatizes DUI dangers to Geneseo students
Two alcohol-related crashes - one that killed a Geneseo teenager two days before Christmas in 2000, the other that killed five Oswego, Illinois teenagers in February 2007 - will be a focus by the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe at an all-school assembly at Geneseo Middle School on Wednesday, October 1.
The 90-minute performance will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the school gym, located at 333 East Ogden Avenue in Geneseo.Commenting on the Geneseo crash will be James Howell, whose daughter Jamie, age 17, died after a head-on collision with a van driven by Marc Hollister of Geneseo, then 38, who was later convicted of reckless homicide. He also was convicted of aggravated DUI for serious injuries incurred in the crash by Jamie's 14-year-old sister, Mandy.
James Howell himself was injured last weekend when a vehicle he was driving rolled over, but despite bruises and soreness, he's determined to appear with the MWAH! troupe Wednesday to express his views about alcohol and other drugs and about the award established in memory of his daughter, Jamie, by the Geneseo schools.
Among other issues to be addressed in Geneseo by the MWAH! troupe (acronym for Messages Which Are Hopeful!) include racial and ethnic diversity; child abuse, with reference to a true story about a little girl named Alyssa; the tragic consequences of teenage bullying, with reference to the massacres at Virginia Tech University last year and Northern Illinois University this year, as well as a suburban St. Louis teenage girl who committed suicide because of a cyber-bullying hoax; discovering how to convert life's negative experiences into positive ones; and a special recognition of some genuine heroes among Geneseo Middle School students.
The 13-member MWAH! ensemble, ranging in age from 8 to 17, will combine real life drama, various genres of both cover songs and songs written and produced by the troupe, and a touch of 'grass-hop,' combining hip hop dance with country line dance.All troupe members currently are students themselves - public, parochial, and home schools - and live in Aurora, Naperville, Plainfield, Downers Grove, Cherry Valley, and Rockford.It's inspirational gospel, pop, country, and bluegrass - all conveying messages of hope.
A common thread is choices and the importance of continually striving to make the right ones.Arranging for the troupe's visit to Geneseo has been Chris Ward, school counselor and coordinator for the past ten years of the school's LEAF Camp program (an acronym for Learning, Education, Action, and Focus), who may be reached at the school at 309-945-0599.Further information on the MWAH! troupe is available on its website at www.mwah.net. The troupe also may be reached by phone at 630-993-0003 or 630-881-6730 (cell).
The not-for-profit troupe is affiliated with Kids Do Count, Inc., a tax exempt charitable organization, and with the Chicago Area Project, a grass-roots service and advocacy agency based in downtown Chicago and part of a statewide community services network targeting at-risk youth and their families.
As part of the MWAH! performance at Geneseo Middle School, troupe member Niko Burton
(left), age 13, is listening to words of encouragement from his 'mentor,' Christian Rodriguez, age 17, in a piece focusing on coping with teenage bullying. Standing off-stage on the extreme left is Chris Ward, a school counselor and the coordinator of the visit to Geneseo by the traveling 13-member ensemble.
(photo by Beth Oechsel)