July 24, 2007
Program Grabs Kid’s Interest with Drumming
Drums for Life Program “Sounds Off” for Asthma ManagementBy Franchone Bey
BRIDGEPORT – Over 150 students gathered at the Ralphola Taylor Community Center YMCA in Bridgeport on Tuesday to participate in “Drums for Life”, an asthma awareness program presented by OBey Foundation and sponsored in part through support from the Alex G. Nason Foundation.
Before the students participated in a drum circle of traditional African instruments including djembe drums, bass drums, shakeres, and rattle they listened to Kojo Bey, director of OBey Foundation, tell the history of asthma in his family and how he dealt with the symptoms as a youth.
“My mother, my father, grandparents, great-grandparents all had asthma,” Bey said. “I had to deal with asthma as a young child and I used music to help me calm myself down.”
Bey also explained to the students that he discovered that the energy of the drums and deep breathing exercises also helped him relax.
Santos Cayetano, senior program director for the YMCA says that he believes the program is important for the youth. “A lot of kids don’t get enough information about things that affect their lives,” Cayetano said. “This is a creative way to present the information, to learn about their culture and an illness that may affect their lives.”
Cayetano said that he has not seen a program like Drums for Life and plans to make it an ongoing project. “I have a lot of different programs here at he center focusing on education, culture and recreation,” Cayetano said. “But this is different. It’s unique, and we haven’t had anything of this magnitude reaching so many students. It’s something I definitely plan to implement from one year to the next and incorporate into our own programs.”
Guest speaker, Gretchen May-Fendo, a respiratory representative from Bridgeport Hospital explained to the students how their lungs work, what measures they can take to prevent asthma attacks, and the signs to look for when they have trouble breathing. “The lungs are made up of little branches like trees have,” May-Fendo said. “And you have to take good care of them. Make sure that you tell your parents who smoke that they can’t smoke around you because it can affect your breathing.”
May-Fendo said she was very excited to participate in the Drums for Life program. “This is such a beautiful experience to bring to the kids,” May-Fendo said. “When the ALA out of Hartford contacted me about doing this program, I thought who’s not going to be excited about doing it. The drumming gets their attention and then we get the asthma information to them. Kojo presents this program beautifully and Bridgeport Hospital totally supports the program.”
According to Kojo Bey, Drums for Life is part of the Health and Wellness mission of OBey Foundation with a focus on asthma management. The Drum Call Program is an African drum and dance program that explores the healing therapies of music and dance through hands-on lessons, rites of passage activities, and group development. Bey says that the goal of the program is not only to bring awareness but to help people heal themselves to have productive futures.”
For more information on Drums for Life contact Kimberly Wood at 203.733.3332 or email Kimberly at Kimberly@obeyfoundation.org.
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