Simply Smiles » Uncategorized http://www.simplysmiles.org Dedicated to building bright futures while improving the daily lives of impoverished children. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:02:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.5 Local musician heads to Mexico http://www.simplysmiles.org/2011/02/local-musician-heads-to-mexico/ http://www.simplysmiles.org/2011/02/local-musician-heads-to-mexico/#comments Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:01:47 +0000 Simply Smiles http://www.simplysmiles.org/?p=2932 Nationally touring singer & songwriter, Kristen Graves, is heading to Oaxaca, Mexico on Wednesday, March 2, to spend 10 days working with Simply Smiles, a charity organization, in the mountains of Mexico. Graves has been involved with Simply Smiles since it’s inception in 2003, and is happy to take her first 2011 trip. The week will involve working in the city of Oaxaca helping to construct the organization’s Center of Operations, and will also involve working in Santa Maria Tepexipana, a remote mountain village in the southern jungle of Mexico, by hosting a food distribution.
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“Taking these trips grounds me, and reminds me of why it’s important to be a songwriter. Not only am I passionate about these people, but upon my return, it is always my job to tell their stories as often as possible.” Graves made her first trip to Mexico with a group of college kids during her freshman year at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. “I had wanted to go on a service trip to Costa Rica, but it conflicted with a choir tour I was participating in. I didn’t think that Mexico would be as ‘in need’ but I figured I could at least go and help someone. After meeting the children and people of Mexico on that first trip, I couldn’t stop going.” Graves worked with St. Olaf to build a specific independent study and internship program so that she could return to Oaxaca during every break that she could.

“I would ask my family and friends to give me money to head to Mexico for my birthday and Christmas. It’s all I wanted to do.” In 2003, Graves met Bryan Nurnberger, president and founder of Simply Smiles, Inc., a Connecticut-based charity that works in Oaxaca, Mexico and on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. He was just forming the organization. “I admired his approach to how he worked with people. There was no pity, and he didn’t act like he was better than anyone. He just wanted to help his friends.” The two got married in 2009, and Graves will now admit, “I thought he was cute too.”

Graves has released four independent albums in the past 10 years, and is currently preparing to head to the studio to prepare for the release of a 3-song EP. How does she keep a balance? “The experiences in Mexico and South Dakota have definitely helped shape who I am, and how I write. After a trip, I’m always filled with stories that I then share on stage, whether it be a song inspired by someone I’ve met, or just a story that I tell between songs.” This year’s 2011 tour will head to over 25 cities bringing Graves as far west as Denver, CO. “Sharing stories of humanity, and reminding people that we’re all connected is an important part of what I do. It’s a gift to be able to write songs, and it’s a gift to get to know the amazing people I’ve met around the world. It only makes sense to combine the two.”

A fluent Spanish-speaker, Graves has gotten to connect over the years with people that she describes as ‘awe-inspiring’. This upcoming trip in March will lead up to a food distribution, where Graves will be one of many passing out beans, rice and other staples to over 2,500 people from the area. Some recipients will travel as far as 10 hours on foot, just to receive the month’s supply of food. “It’s an incredible chance to be able to help someone else, but I always receive much more than I could ever give. I know it’s sounds cliché, but I don’t care. It’s true!” And will her guitar make an appearance? “Of course! We spend nights sitting outside next to a fire. The starlight, the sweet-smelling jungle air, it’s the best venue I’ve ever played!”

For more information on Kristen Graves, visit: www.kristengraves.com. For more information on Simply Smiles, visit: www.simplysmiles.org.

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