The frog is an unlikely symbol of recovery, resilience and compassion. Yet for families who lost loved ones on September 11th, in the 2004 Madrid bombings, and for families left devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the humble frog became a gentle reminder that others “care about us and share our sorrow.”
Thanks to the Feel the Music! “Frog Project”, families who lost a loved one on September 11th hand-painted over one hundred percussion frogs, in the hopes of connecting families in different countries and regions experiencing similar losses and grief. About half of the frogs were sent earlier this year to “Association 11-M” in Madrid, to be delivered to children affected by the 2004 train bombings (see below for more info). The remaining frogs were sent to childcare centers in New Orleans through “We Care New Orleans”.
The response to these tiny gifts was truly overwhelming. During the weeks Feel the Music! families worked on painting and decorating the frogs, many discussions arose about loss and recovery and the wish to give to others in similar circumstances. No one expected that these gifts would trigger a domino effect of children of one disaster helping children of another disaster. Yet when the frogs arrived in Madrid, children there responded by wanting to “create something for our friends in New York.” When the frogs arrived in New Orleans, teachers there were inspired to expand ‘The Frog Project’ and plan to decorate and send frogs to tsunami victims in the Pacific, and to children more recently affected by the 2007 California wildfires in San Diego and Los Angeles.
The Frog Project continues to grow, with plans to decorate another set of frogs in 2008. Sponsor a frog and bring a smile to a child’s face!
Frog Project History: Starting in 2007, families who lost a loved one on September 11th hand-painted over one hundred twenty percussion frogs, in the hopes of connecting families in different countries and regions experiencing similar losses and grief. About half of the frogs were sent to “Association 11-M” in Madrid, and were delivered to children affected by the 2004 train bombings. The remaining frogs were sent to childcare centers in New Orleans through “We Care New Orleans”. The families chose to send the second batch of frogs to soldiers in Iraq. Plans for a third batch of frogs are in the works for 2009.