Pickleberry Pie Incorporated

Annual Report

July 2006

20 years of small projects with big impacts

THE HEALING POWER OF MUSIC

Pickleberry Pie Inc., a public charity for children and families, has accomplished small music-oriented projects for over 20 years. Our many projects are united by a single goal: to use the healing power of music and personal contact to improve the lives of kids and teens.

• We provide free concerts and one to one entertainment for seriously ill children in 12 hospitals nationwide.

• We are piloting a program to use the songwriting process to help teens living with cancer.

• We are partnering with the public radio system to provide free, wholesome programming for children.

• We empower individual kids in families, schools, and day care centers worldwide to vote on awards for music and storytelling.

• And we help families and schools connect with entertainment professionals and related services worldwide

A young patient in Georgetown loves Dinorock

Over the years Pickleberry Pie Incorporated has helped millions of kids. Yet our volunteer structure allows the needs of individual kids to always stay in focus. When we put on a concert, we create one for specific children with specific needs. When we put together an awards program, we let individual kids have a major voice in the judging. We don't rely on fancy technology, equipment, or corporate advertisements. There are no logos emblazoning our activities, no plastic Pickleberry dolls, no video games or computers. We have no paid staff, no overhead, no development or administrative costs.

We keep things simple to simply benefit kids.

Pickleberry Pie Board Member Lanny Sherwin shares with children at LA Children’s Hospital

OUR HISTORY

Our volunteer organization was started in 1986 by Linda Arnold, P. J. Swift, and a small group of adults and kids. We saw a need: programs for young children on the national public radio system. We simply couldn't understand why no one was making such a series, and so we decided to create one! We eventually recorded over 500 half-hour programs, put together entirely by volunteers. “Pickleberry Pie” was the most popular children's series on public radio. Our honors included the Gold Award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1991, The American Women in Radio and Television Award, Parent's Choice and many other awards.

" One of the most popular children's radio shows ever baked in the public radio kitchen" radideo.com

Toward the end of the 80's, our volunteers started outreach activities in the San Francisco Bay Area. We created a program to teach songwriting to kids in elementary school. The program was a resounding success. We next created an entire channel for kids in hospitals.

THE HOSPITAL CONCERT SERIES

When we created the “Sprouts” closed circuit children's radio for Stanford's Packard Children's Hospital, we were reminded how healing music can be. Packard Hospital expressed an interest in a concert series and asked for our help.. So our volunteers started a free monthly acoustic concert series for seriously ill children in Packard and Shriner's Hospital in San Francisco . Eight years later, thanks to the generosity of The Bernard Osher Foundation, the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation, the Van Loben Sels Foundation, and other funders, we had expanded to a total of 60 concerts per year in 6 Bay Area hospitals.

Child life specialists in other children's hospitals nationwide heard about the program, and clamored to get their own centers involved. We wanted to help them out, but didn't want to lose the personal touch and flexibility that has been so much of our success. Thanks to the Meyer Memorial Trust, the Margo and Irwin Winkler Family Foundation, and other funders, we were able to expand to Los Angeles , Portland , Houston and the metro DC area . In the past year, our entertainers put on over 120 concerts in 12 hospitals nationwide, serving about 15,000 children and their families This year, our eleventh, we'd like to continue our expansion to the metro DC area and Santa Barbara..

LOCAL AND ADAPTABLE

We can be adaptable because we're small and locally-run. Our concert series is planned, scheduled, and managed entirely by the local co-ordinators of Pickleberry Pie- all the hospital staff has to do is publicize the concert to their patients and staff. Because we are well-connected to children's music, we can hand pick the entertainers for the concerts, selecting people we know and trust. We pay our entertainers well, assuring an individualized, site-specific performance each time. Our entertainers are given strict verbal and written guidelines, created in conjunction with hospital staff, to insure that their performance is upbeat and comforting.

We've had a great variety of multicultural performers in our many concerts – from singers to storytellers to magicians. All performers strive to involve the kids in the concert, using rhythm instruments, group singing, and collaborative storytelling where possible. Small, participatory concerts are crucial to the success of our program. What these kids need most is personal attention.

After every performance, the entertainers visit the kids who are not able to attend the group concert and give them a private concert in their rooms. And all of our Pickleberry performers leave free tapes and CDs for the hospital library.

TEEN SONGWRITING PROJECT

Last year, we received two grants- one from the Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation and one from the Lance Armstrong Foundation- to start a pilot program for teens with cancer. Previously, we had not been able to serve teens well in our hospital visits, because our concerts were often for much younger children. Unfortunately, teens and young adults with cancer comprise the most neglected population. We knew we had the experience and connections to help. So we started an individual songwriting project for teens in Oakland and Los Angeles.

In the past year, we’ve learned a lot about recruiting and working with this population. It’s never simple. It can take us several months just to find the teen, arrange meetings, and finally facilitate the songwriting experience with an individually-selected professional songwriting partner. But we must say, the results have been spectacular, both in lyrics and arrangements. Here are a few lines of lyrics from a song written by a teen in Oakland:

Angel Maravilloso

Angel maravilloso

que aparece de la nada

y sin saber que uno viene enfermo

se acerca y le da la cara….

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Marvelous Angel

Marvelous Angel

that appeared out of nowhere

and without knowing someone was sick

he put close his face….

All of a sudden he says to the boy

that he should not despair,

"Not even chemotherapy

will destroy your body.

Continue fighting with a lot of strength;

put your hand on your heart."

A PUBLIC RADIO CHANNEL FOR KIDS

Our Pickleberry volunteers have been asked to partner with KUSP-FM and the ‘Pataphysical Broadcasting Foundation to create an entire channel for kids on public radio. With the advent of digital technology, stations nationwide will be able to present three or more distinct channels of programming for their communities. We hope that one of those channels will address the most neglected radio audience: children.

To that end, we have worked to amass both new and existing programs in a single channel. Our new programming will include a lullaby program, and one that presents the “first chapter” of children’s books. Our roster of existing programs features award-winning series such as the science-oriented “Kinetic City SuperCrew”, “Pickleberry Pie”, and “Rabbit Ears Radio.”

Programming will be presented through both internet stream and digital broadcasting. This is an exciting opportunity for our Pickleberry volunteers, and one that promises to benefit millions of children nationwide. All funding for the project will be managed through KUSP.

For ten years, Pickleberry Pie, Inc. has been the fiscal agent and parent organization for The Children's Music Web, a non-profit resource for families worldwide. The Children's Music Web is entirely self-supporting through small individual contributions and program service revenue from children's artists around the world. Our site, www.childrensmusic.org , has had over millions of visitors over the years. It features webcast children's radio, song suggestions for teachers, links to other children's music and music education organizations, and tips on creating songs and audio by kids and for kids.

Our Children's Music Web's awards program for children's entertainers has been increasingly successful over the years. Our awards program is the ONLY awards program truly decided by kids, because we involve families and schools in every step of the judging process. This year, we had about 150 entries in 22 age-specific categories. Over 2000 kids worldwide decide the winners, and help us select the recipients of our “Lifetime Achievement Awards” for children's entertainers. The awards program is self-supporting, with awards fees and sticker fees covering the postage and printing costs of the program.

One of our participating teachers made a homework assignment out of review

OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR FALL 2006 TO SUMMER 2007

Our Pickleberry Pie Incorporated Board of Directors meets on-line frequently during the year. We work hard to flesh out our strategic plan. Our Executive Committee meets on-line at least twice a month. During these meetings, the following goals and objectives were set for the coming year:

• Continue the Hospital Concert Series

Objective: Raise funds to continue the free monthly “Very Special Concert Series” for 15 children's hospitals in the Bay Area, Portland, Houston/Austin, metro D.C., Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles . Outcome: 155 concerts by noted children's artists, presented free of charge.

• Continue pilot for the songwriting series for teens living with cancer

Objective: Use existing funding to finish the pilot project for to help teens express themselves through songwriting. Present findings to Child Life Conference in 2007. Outcome: 20 to 25 teens paired with professional songwriters. Songs will be collected on a cd.

• Help develop “ Radio Town” children’s channel

Objective: Work with KUSP/’Pataphysical Broadcasting Foundation to develop free radio channel for the public broadcasting system. Outcome: Ramp up to 24 hour channel by 2007, with broadcast in 80 cities nationwide.

• Continue support of the Children's Music Web

Objective: Continue free services, including on line “webcast” for children. Publicize the site and Children's Music Web Awards. Outcome: 500,000 visits by July 2007, representing continued public awareness and use of the site.

BUDGET

Our funds come from three areas: grants from supporting foundations, program service revenue, and individual donations to the Children's Music Web. In order to prevent mingling of funds, we have two separate accounts - one for for Pickleberry Pie Inc., and one for our Children's Music Web activities. Although these accounts are combined in the budget below and on our tax returns, we keep them separate in our day to day accounting. We have a significant fund balance at the end of each year because we receive funds at the end of the calendar year for programs implemented in the following year.

INCOME 2005

The Autzen Foundation 4,000

The Bernard Osher Foundation 3,000

The Margo and Irwin Winkler Charitable Foundation 8,000

The Lance Armstrong Foundation 16,250

The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation 4,750

The Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation 6,000

The May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust 5,000

The Shelley A Marshall Foundation 500

Contributions from individuals/program service revenue 14,045

Interest from accounts 155

Total income 61,700

FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES 2005

All other expenses (rent, telephone, administrative, development etc) are in-kind donations/volunteer. We estimate that these in-kind costs total over 200,000 per year. Our fund balance reflects the unspent portions of our Songwriting project, in part.

 Even adults get into the act- with Dan Crow in Los Angeles

BUDGET FOR 2006-2007

Listed by Project

Hospital Concert Series (all locations- 150 concerts)

Cost: $45,000

Existing funds: 0

To raise: $45,000

George Mark Hospice Concert Series- San Leandro ( up to 5 events per year)

Cost: $3,500

Existing funds: $500 left on previous grant

To raise: $3,000

Teen Songwriting Project (20-25 teens paired with professional songwriters)

Cost: $21,000

Existing funds: 17,000 left on previous grants

We will not be raising funds for this project until the pilot is completed in 2007

Children’s Music Web and the Children’s Music Web Awards

Cost: $8,000

Funds for this project come from program service revenue

Radio Town – children’s channel on public radio

Cost: $120,000

All of the funds for this will be handled by KUSP FM and the Pataphysical Broadcasting Foundation

Pickleberry Pie Incorporated Board of Directors

This is an entirely volunteer and uncompensated Board

Executive Committee- meets on-line twice a month

Katherine Dines, composer and children's artist, Vice President, Denver, CO

Monty Harper , children's artist, Secretary, Stillwater, OK

Fred Koch , writer for Parent's Magazine, Board Chair, Chicago IL

P.J. Swift, special education teacher, Treasurer and volunteer CEO, Santa Cruz CA

Other Board members- meets on-line 4 times per year:

Linda Arnold,, children's artist, Santa Cruz CA

Ned Hearn, entertainment attorney, San Jose, CA

Scott Liggettwood, children's artist, Hong Kong, China

Irene Light, music educator, Vienna VA

Mary Lounsbury, PhD., clinical children's psychologist, Carmel CA

Lanny Sherwin, children’s artist, Santa Barbara, CA

Rachel Sumner, children's artist, Nashville TN

Barbara Tilsen, day care provider, Minneapolis, MN

Robert Wesley, MD, Las Vegas, NV

Contact information for Pickleberry Pie Inc:

PJ Swift, volunteer CEO

305 Dickens Way

Santa Cruz CA 95064

(831) 427-3980

pjswift@sbcglobal.net

Federal EIN: 77-0236666

All contributions tax deductible