We had BIG NEWS here at AO that we are extremely proud of. We have officially become a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization as determined by the IRS. This is exceptionally big news for us since we braved through the application process ourselves. It was quite challenging and we are very proud to hold this status.

We also hosted a book discussion and signing with AO’s resident author Kirk Martin. Kirk discussed both his books to date, Shade of the Maple and The Gravel Drive. He is currently working on his third book. Kirk will also be featured in Parade Magazine (which comes in the Sunday paper around the country) on March 16, so please be on the lookout for that and let him know you saw it!

Edwin McCain’s new CD came out on February 25th. It is an acoustic CD called The Austin Sessions. If you have purchased it, look in the case under the CD. You will find a very thoughtful message from Edwin going out to a family that is near and dear to AO, the Cokers. Brandon Coker was a fan of Edwin’s that we worked closely with (as well as many of Edwin’s fans) and Acoustic Outreach is dedicated to Brandon. You can read his story in our Inspiration section.

Angie Aparo can now add Grammy winning songwriter to his resume. Faith Hill won a Grammy for her version of the song Cry, which was written by Angie. As you may recall, Angie went to visit Bethany Groce in the hospital and was very moved by her beauty and courage. We have also added Angie’s interview to our artists’ section.

We have added to our Volunteer page the needs of Happy Days and Special Times for their camp coming up this summer. These range from the very simple such as donating old prom and bridesmaids dresses, to volunteering as a counselor. To learn more visit the volunteer page.

We have a new Featured Charity for the month of March!

Lyrics for Life is a non-profit organization founded by Sister Hazel lead singer Ken Block. The organization has been instrumental in uniting musicians for a series of concerts and auctions. These events raise awareness of serious illnesses such as cancer, fund researchers to find a cure, and enrich the lives of patients and their families. Please check out our Featured Charity page to learn more.

For those that will be at Lyrics for Life this year, John Taglieri will be performing the song he wrote for Bethany Groce called Fly, Little Angel. He also wrote the lyrics to this song on a picture of Bethany for the auction. Ken Block also went to visit Bethany…she was quite a popular girl with the rock stars!

One more wonderful thing that will be happening at the Lyrics for Life event, Edwin will be dedicating his performance that night to Brandon Coker, so if you are there, make sure to look for it in the program.

In next month’s newsletter we will have highlights of the night’s events at L4L, and we will bring you a new Featured Charity, Rock Against Cancer…so sign up to stay tuned!