The Graff Automall Blues Brothers pose with this year’s “Bluesmobile”, a 1992 Chevy Caprice. Tickets for the Bluesmobile Raffle are $2 and are available at Graff Automall and First Step.

Fi rs t Step: A Fami ly V iolence Intervent ion Center

Summer Issue: August 2006

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Its that time of year again! First Step’s Soul Shine Blues Festival will occur on September 23, 2006 for the 11th straight year. In that time we have been blessed to see the festival grow to become one of the most respected blues events in Northwest Ohio. In addi-tion, we have seen some of the best national blues artists grace our stage. This year Soul Shine will present the talents of four spectacular musi-cians from a diverse range of blues. (see page

2 for artist bios). In addition Soul Shine will also feature events such as Soul Shine Raffle items, Silent Auction theme baskets, and more. Add to this our signature southern cooking: ribs, BBQ chicken, seafood gumbo, and red beans and rice and you have a can’t miss event with fun for the entire fam-ily. Soul Shine 2006 will begin at 2 PM on Saturday September 23 at the Mead-owbrook Ballroom in Bas-com, OH. Tickets are al-ready on sale for Soul Shine and are $15 each. Make sure to check First

Step’s website for up-dates on Soul Shine. In addition, if you would like to volunteer on the day of Soul Shine contact First Step to see how you can help. All of us here at First Step are giddy with antici-pation and looking for-ward to a day filled with great music, great food, and great fun. We encour-age all of you to come out and show your support for First Step as all proceeds from Soul Shine benefit First Step programs. For more info call: 419-435-

7300.

SO U L SH I N E 2006 !

Letter From the DirectorLetter From the DirectorLetter From the DirectorLetter From the Director

Dear Friends of First Step,

What a summer! In many ways, Summer is our busiest time of year at First Step, especially with our preparations for Soul Shine. This year we are excited to have Slick Bal-linger returning to the Soul Shine stage. Those of you who saw Slick last year at Soul Shine know what a great performance he put on. Also returning is Bay area bluesman Phil Berko-witz with his take on Louis Jordan. In addition, New Orleans bluesman Bryan Lee will grace our stage for the first time. This is prom-ising to be another great Soul Shine. Most impor-tantly, it will give commu-nity members the opportu-nity to show their support for First Step as we con-tinue to provide resources

to build healthy families.

See you there!

Terri L. Mercer

Photo Credit: Sandra Whitta

One might say that the Mississippi River runs through his veins. Certainly the spirit of traditional blues is the lifeblood of 21 year-old Slick Ballinger. Influenced by the likes of Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters, the North Carolina native and current Mississippi resident picked up the guitar at the age of fifteen and with it took the torch from a bygone generation and began to run with it. The spirit of the blues moves Daniel "Slick" Ballinger like the spirit of the lord moves a preacher. Hailed by many as a prodigy, he is in the midst of transforming into a deep bluesman. Before the age of 18 he had played with legendary artists: Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Othar Turner, T-Model Ford, and Algia Mae Hinton. These renowned

blues artist have all mentioned three words to describe Daniel Ballinger, "He's Got It".

Born in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, Bryan Lee completely lost his eyesight by the age of eight. His avid interest in early rock and blues was fostered through the 1950s by late night listening sessions via the Nashville-based radio station WLAC AM, where he first encountered the sounds of Elmore James, Albert King and Albert Collins. Bryan remembers thinking he didn't understand the music, but knew that's what he wanted to play. Through the '60s, Bryan's interest turned to Chicago blues and he soon found himself immersed on that scene. Lee eventually headed south to New Orleans, mixing his Chicago influences with the Delta blues and landing a steady

gig at the Old Absinthe House where he developed a huge following and a solid reputation.

Phil Berkowitz, a San Francisco Bay Area based blues harmonica player and vocalist, has brought his unique and energetic musical style to audiences for the better part of a decade. His most recent venture, a CD honoring the legendary music of Louis Jordan, testifies to the talent and dedication of this exciting, young performer. Phil became interested in the blues after moving to California and soon dedicated himself to mastering every facet of the diatonic and chromatic harmonica. He and his band have found a niche in their bop influenced blues and have performed with a variety of top blues and jazz musicians such as Danny Caron, Brenda

Boykin, Jon Lawton, Little David Rose, Lisa Kindred, and Billy Branch, just to name a few.

For clients and families dealing with domestic violence, it offers a 24-hour crisis support phone line, legal advocacy (including filing Civil Protection Orders and accompanying clients to court), and temporary shelter resi-dence for those in need. And for individuals simply looking to enhance their lives and relation-ships we also offer a wide range of comprehensive services.

For 25 years First Step has been serving the Wyandot, Wood, Sandusky and Seneca counties. We are the first do-mestic violence shelter to be built from the ground up in the state of Ohio and one of only four in the nation. Over the last few years, First Step has evolved from a shelter to a center that focuses on preven-tion as well as intervention.

Contact Us

First Step

P O Box 1103

Fostoria, OH 44830

419-435-7300

firststep@firststepweb.org

www.firststepweb.org

Page 2 Summer Issue: August 2006

FIRST STEP: A FAMILY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION CENTER

PROVIDING RESOURCES THAT EMPOWER PEOPLE TO MAKE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP CHOICES SOUL SHINE 2006 PRESENTS...

A l s o f e a t u r i n g t h e m u s i c o f S l i c k B l a ck Cad i l l a c !!!!

ABOUT F I R S T ST EP

Firs t Step Quar ter ly Page 3

MARK YOUR AREA OF INMARK YOUR AREA OF INMARK YOUR AREA OF INMARK YOUR AREA OF INTEREST BELOW:TEREST BELOW:TEREST BELOW:TEREST BELOW:

____ Soul Shine Street Team MemberSoul Shine Street Team MemberSoul Shine Street Team MemberSoul Shine Street Team Member Spread the word about Soul Shine by putting up posters, distributing flyers, or telling friends.

____ Soul Shine “daySoul Shine “daySoul Shine “daySoul Shine “day----of” Volunteerof” Volunteerof” Volunteerof” Volunteer Help out on the day of Soul Shine by selling tickets, helping in the kitchen, and cleaning up.

____ Soul Shine Planning Committee VolunteerSoul Shine Planning Committee VolunteerSoul Shine Planning Committee VolunteerSoul Shine Planning Committee Volunteer Help organize and plan for Soul Shine throughout the year.

____ Soul Shine Sponsor Soul Shine Sponsor Soul Shine Sponsor Soul Shine Sponsor Contribute to Soul Shine by underwriting some of our cost and receive advertising perks.

____ Buy Soul Shine Tickets ($15) ____ number of tickets Buy Soul Shine Tickets ($15) ____ number of tickets Buy Soul Shine Tickets ($15) ____ number of tickets Buy Soul Shine Tickets ($15) ____ number of tickets Send slip with check or money order.

____ Buy Bluesmobile Raffle Tickets ($2) ____number of tickets ____ Buy Bluesmobile Raffle Tickets ($2) ____number of tickets ____ Buy Bluesmobile Raffle Tickets ($2) ____number of tickets ____ Buy Bluesmobile Raffle Tickets ($2) ____number of tickets Send slip with check or money order.

Name Name Name Name ___________________________PhonePhonePhonePhone_____________________

Address Address Address Address ____________________________________________________

Email Email Email Email ______________________________________________________

SSSSOULOULOULOUL S S S SHINEHINEHINEHINE V V V VOLUNTEEROLUNTEEROLUNTEEROLUNTEER O O O OPPORTUNITIESPPORTUNITIESPPORTUNITIESPPORTUNITIES

You can play a part in making Soul Shine successful! From helping spread the word to helping clean up, we can always use more volunteers. If you are interested in helping with Soul Shine just fill out the response slip below

and send it back to us. And you can also mail order advance tickets for Soul Shine by filling out this slip.

Help make Soul Shine great and contact us today!

Send this slip back to us at:

First StepFirst StepFirst StepFirst Step P O Box 1103P O Box 1103P O Box 1103P O Box 1103

Fostoria, OH 44830Fostoria, OH 44830Fostoria, OH 44830Fostoria, OH 44830

First Step's Soul Shine Blues Festival has been bringing the most au-thentic and original blues acts to Northwest Ohio for over a decade. Originally Soul Shine was conceived as a music festival to raise funds for First Step pro-grams, Soul Shine quickly became focused on the blues and soon rose to fame in attract-ing the best national acts in the blues. Soul Shine brings together people from all walks of life and unites them through a day of fantas-tic music and a great cause. Soul Shine is the brainchild of First Step Executive Director Terri

Mercer, whose love for the blues brought about the desire to have a festival right in our community. Soul Shine gives First Step the opportunity to reach out and meet with commu-nity members and make them aware of our work and also give them an op-portunity to get involved. As our major fundraiser, Soul Shine is one way that people can show their sup-port for our work of build-ing strong families. In addi-tion to great music, Soul Shine is also famous for its signature Southern cook-ing. Seafood gumbo, BBQ ribs, red beans and rice, and Red Hot hot dogs are just some of the delightful tastes at Soul Shine. Add

to this our Soul Shine raf-fles, our theme basket si-lent auction, and other activities and you have great fun for the entire family. All in all, the event makes for a great party that continues to get better with age. For more info visit us on the web at:

www.firststepweb.org

ABOUT SOUL SH INE

Mark Your Calendars!

The 11th annual Soul Shine Blues Festival

Saturday September 23, 2006

2PM -10PM, Tickets: $15

Meadowbrook Park Ballroom Bascom, OH

GREAT MUSIC, FOOD, FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

SOFT BRISTLE TOOTHBRUSHES

WOMEN’S SOCKS (5-10 1/2)

AA BATTERIES

DRAWING PAPER

HEATING PAD

OLD MAGAZINES

KLEENEX

TAMPONS

HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS

DISHWASHING SOAP

JOURNALS

CALL US IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS

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STENO PADS

NOTEBOOKS

SCOTCH TAPE

TAPE DISPENSERS

POST IT NOTES

MESSAGE PADS

Q-TIPS

OVER THE COUNTER MEDICINE: TYLE-

NOL,IBUPROFEN, ETC.

DIGITAL THERMOMETER

TOILET PAPER

PAPER TOWELS

TALL KITCHEN GARBAGE BAGS

DIAPERS (ALL SIZES)

WOMEN’S DISPOSABLE RAZORS

“F IR ST STEP NEED” LIST

First Step PRSRT-STD

AUTOCR

US POSTAGE

PAID TIFFIN, OH

PERMIT # 52

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