- We Are Family Foundation
The We Are Family Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by songwriter, musician, and producer
Nile Rodgers in the wake of theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks . Its mission is to "celebrate...the vision of a global family by creating and supporting programs that inspire and educate people about mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation of cultural diversity." [http://www.wearefamilyfoundation.org/Aboutus_mission.aspx]The seeds of the foundation were planted on
September 22 ,2001 , when Rodgers andTommy Boy Music presidentTom Silverman brought 200 musicians, celebrities, and personalities together inNew York City and Los Angeles to re-record Rodgers' hit song "We Are Family" (best known in its 1979 hit version performed bySister Sledge ) to start the healing process after the events ofSeptember 11 . DirectorSpike Lee filmed the "We Are Family"music video , and directorDanny Schechter filmed a documentary entitled "The Making and Meaning of We Are Family", which depicts the recording session. The documentary was chosen as aSundance Film Festival Special Selection in 2002.In October 2001 a children's version of the song "We Are Family" was recorded, featuring more than 100 beloved children's television characters from shows such as "
Barney & Friends ", "Between the Lions ", "Sesame Street ", "Bear in the Big Blue House ", Arthur, "", "Rugrats ", "Dragon Tales ", "The Magic School Bus ", "PB&J Otter ", "The Backyardigans ", "SpongeBob SquarePants ", "Dora the Explorer ", "Bob the Builder ", "The Book of Pooh ", "Stanley", "Blue's Room ", "Blue's Clues ", "Clifford the Big Red Dog ", "Kim Possible ", "The Proud Family ", "LazyTown ", "Lilo & Stitch ", "Madeline", "Little Bill ", "The Fairly OddParents ", "ZOOM ", "Higglytown Heroes ", "Dom Kids", "Dom Show", "Dom", "Yogi Bear", "Super Why ", "Word World", "Wonder Pets! ", "Yo Gabba Gabba! ",It's A Big Big World ,Curious George ,FETCH! ,WordGirl ,Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies ,Franny's Feet ,Martha Speaks ,Sid the Science Kid , [The Electric Company] },The Muppet Show ,VeggieTales , andYogi Bear . This was an unprecedented collaboration among more than fifteen competitive media corporations. However, the video generated considerable controversy because of its overly homosexual overtones.A three-minute music video of the children's recording currently airs as a public service announcement on
Disney Channel , Nickelodeon, Boomerang, Dom TV, and PBS channels. In 2007, the music video was paired with educational lesson plans to create the "We Are Family: A Musical Message for All" educationalDVD program designed for early childhood educators. The DVD was distributed free to more than 58,000 public and private elementary schools in the United States and National Head Start programs with the intent of promoting tolerance and diversity to America's children. [http://www.wearefamilyfoundation.org/PressReleases/PR_DVDReleased.aspx]American teen band Creation recorded an album entitled "World Without Windows" in 2007. They announced that all gross proceeds from that work will be donated to the foundation.Fact|date=December 2007
External links
* [http://www.wearefamilyfoundation.org/ We Are Family Foundation website]
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