Love song host hopes to be a voice for forgotten children with Jessie Funk's "You Lived"
SEATTLE, March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Syndicated radio show host Delilah, who lost her adopted son Sammy one year ago this week after a long battle with sickle-cell anemia, has spent the past year working towards building a village for other orphaned African children through her humanitarian organization, Point Hope, Inc.
Sammy's Place, a home for children with long-term chronic illnesses including sickle-cell and HIV/AIDS, will be built at Point Hope Village in the west African country of Ghana, a country Delilah and Point Hope have been working in since 2004, helping to provide hope for refugees and other vulnerable people. The village will consist of homes, schools, shops, and training centers and will be a refuge for rescued children and many others like Sammy who have been left with little other options for food, housing and a place to be cared for and loved.
In honor of Sammy's passing, Delilah and Point Hope are hoping that a new song called "You Lived" will bring attention to the work of Point Hope and Point Hope Ghana. The song, recorded by singer Jessie Funk and a team of musicians and songwriters in Nashville, TN as a special gift to Delilah and Point Hope, speaks of Sammy's fear as an orphan that "no one would even know that I lived," which he verbalized to Delilah shortly after his adoption was finalized. The phrase "I Know Sammy Lived" became the cornerstone of Delilah's mission to keep his memory alive.
"To know Sammy was to love Sammy," said Jan Haynes, Point Hope Executive Director. "He spent one year waiting for his visa so he could come home to his forever family in the U.S., and during that time, the Point Hope Ghana staff and volunteers became his extended family. It was my privilege and joy to see him blossom that year from an unloved, unwanted orphan to the smiling, loving young man you see in this beautiful music video."
The music video for the song, currently featured on YouTube and the Delilah and Point Hope web and social media sites, shows photos and video of Sammy and Delilah at the refugee camp where Delilah and Point Hope work, shortly before he came home with her, as well as home video footage of his life with Delilah in the United States, edited with a music video story line. The poignant tribute received over 1,000 comments on Delilah's Facebook page within the first hour of being posted by Delilah, and over 3,000 YouTube streams within the first day of its release.
The radio personality stated, "If you have lost a loved one, I pray that it speaks to your heart as it did to mine." Delilah has said she wants to share it with the world.
"You Lived" is currently available in most major digital download stores, and will be available soon in all digital download stores, including iTunes, AmazonMP3, Google Play, Spotify and others. All artist and label royalties for the song will be donated to Point Hope.
"You Lived" Official Music Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOSgNw7HXUY
Contacts:
For Point Hope
www.PointHope.org
Jan Haynes
Email
360-479-HOPE (4673)
For The Delilah Show
www.Delilah.com
Kraig Kitchin
Email
(818) 444-7155
For Jessie Funk
www.JessieFunk.com
Andrew Bunel, Bandhouse Music Group
Email
(615) 568-6032