Stay close for more updates as summer is swiftly approaching.

This is a great opportunity to party and have tons of fun with likeminded individuals who are working to effect PEACE in our community.  Whether you’ve lost a loved one to senseless violence, or you just want to see a better tomorrow for our beautiful Virgin Islands, we hope that you would join us!  Our registration fee is just $50 versus the $200+ of other troupes and the form is attached for your convenience.  Register now and chose your section.

Please call us at 340-226-3857 for more information and/or to leave a message for call back.  Also, check out the links below to hear our song or to “like” our Facebook page and help us spread the word by forwarding this note to all your family and friends.

We look forward to parading with you on January 7th in Unity, Love, Respect, and Peace!

The concept of Stop the Bleeding came about in a vision of hope and progress as Mrs. Cheryl Francis, wife of Lt. Governor Gregory R. Francis, interacted on numerous occasions with young people, parents, grandparents, concerned citizens, professionals and families in her daily execution of her role of an unofficial ambassador to the peoples of the U. S. Virgin Islands. As she attentively listened to the various groups as they shared their concerns about the numerous issues affecting our young people, Mrs. Francis was moved with compassion and wanted to help bring about change in these Virgin Islands. She decided to leverage the influence of her position to coordinate with others to positively impact the lives of our young people.

Mrs. Francis envisions an organization that would not only be a strong voice against neglect and abuse perpetrated against our children, but one that would work collectively with other organizations in a public/private partnership to protect and educate our children so that they may collectively enjoy happier homes and brighter futures.

Please leave your comments so together we can better equip our children for a brighter tomorrow. You can start the discussion below now, in the comments field.

Love and peace will be the message in the music when Stop the Bleeding USVI: The LIATI (lee-ah-tee) Project premieres its first single entitled “Believe” on Friday September 2, 2011. Radio stations in the Virgin Islands, the Caribbean and on the mainland will debut the song at 7 a.m. on Friday. Internet listening parties will take place on the weekend of the release.

According to Cheryl Francis, Executive Producer of the musical project, “Believe” is a unique musical collaboration of musicians who reside in the Virgin Islands and abroad. “It is such a beautiful example of how we can work together to promote peace, and send a message of hope to our youth here and throughout the world,” said Francis, wife of V.I. Lt. Governor Gregory R. Francis. She founded Stop the Bleeding, Inc. in 2007 to actively involve parents and their children in reducing violence in their communities.

This project was especially heartfelt by the six popular V.I. musicians who made the recording because they were either born or raised in the territory. As a result, they generously gave their time and talents to collaborate on this masterful message, Francis said. Five of the musicians wrote and contributed their own lyrics to the project. “It was amazing how the verses from each artist complemented the other,” she commented. “The project’s collaborators understood the work of Stop the Bleeding and what we want to tell the people of our communities. If each one stands firm and believes, we can change tomorrow for the better.”

Contributing artists Pressure Busspipe (“Love and Affection”), Verse Simmonds (“Dat Girl”), ElijahVegas (“TheyDon’tUnderstandMe”), RenaFaith (“WithoutYou”), Raynaldo‘TSR’ Canton (“Make It Home”—soon to be released), and Mada Nile (“I Would Like to See”) voluntarily spent hours in St. Croix’s state-of-the-art Aqua Sounds recording studio to complete the project. The song mix was then mastered by Disc Makers. All proceeds from the sale of the single will go towards the work of the Stop the Bleeding Foundation. An album set to be released in 2012 will include “Believe” and other songs contributed by Virgin Islands musicians and will help to raise additional funds for STB, a not-for- profit organization.

STB is a registered member of ASCAP, which will protect the copyright of the tune, monitor the broadcasts and performance of the tune, and collect the royalties for STB. “Believe” is distributed by Tune Core, a leader in music and video distribution. The five minute song can be downloaded this Friday from internet stores including iTunes, Amazon.com, Zune, I Heart Radio, Myspace music and Vervelife. It can also be purchased at local music stores. A ringtone for mobile phones is also available through iTunes, said Kareem Francis, coordinator of the LIATI Project, the arm of STB which spearheads the organization’s musical activities. This collaboration of musically diverse artists will be reminiscent of the popular 1985 “We Are the World” song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie to aid famine relief in Africa and then remixed later to benefit Haiti earthquake relief efforts. “Our product will be distinctly Caribbean but we are certain that we will have an equallysuccessful result for this project,” he said. A video is also in the works, Francis added.

Collis “Krunkmaster DJ Slik” Mitchell, a popular Virgin Islands on-air personality, broughtthe concept for a recorded musical collaboration to Francis and her son, Kareem. “I knew that music was the driving force behind some of the greatest movements for change, so I wanted to promote thisfirst-of-its kind collaboration of V.I. musical artists to benefit Stop the Bleeding,” Mitchell said.    Heinvited electronic music genius Masai Harris to the LIATI team. Harris has the ability to generate almost any genre of music from R&B, rap, hip hop and soul to reggae and calypso. “We love his work,” Mrs. Francis said. “Masai understands that when young people listen to music they learn more about their world. They find comfort in music, and when it seems like no one else understands, the words or sounds of music seem to express it best for them. The LIATI Project will always present positive messages through music and lyrics to counteract the negative and lewd messages our children so often hear and see in today’s media,” she added. LIATI is an acronym for “Love Is All There Is,” explained Mrs. Francis. “The team was searching for just the right name for the project. One of our members had previously heard the expression and offered it for consideration. We researched it further and found lia means “to climb” and ti means “tree” in the West African language of Ewe spoken in parts of Ghana, Togo and Benin. We felt both interpretations were the perfect fit for our LIATI message—we want to take our youth to higher levels of understanding through promoting love and peace as alternatives to violence.” Francis and the project team say “Get ‘LIATI-ready’ for the premiere of “Believe” this weekend. Call your favorite radio station and ask to hear “Believe” every day! Stop the Bleeding’s LIATI Project is sponsored, in part, by the V.I. Law Enforcement Planning Commission, the V.I. Lottery and the Virgin Council on the Arts.

For more information: email theliatiproject[at]stopthebleedingusvi.org, or call 340-642-3591, and “like” us on our Facebook page . To make a donation, click here

Click here for artist’s bios.

The event is a fundraiser for the Stop the Bleeding Foundation, Inc. (STB) founded  by Cheryl Francis, wife of V.I. Lieutenant Governor, Gregory L. Francis.  Mrs. Francis said that STB is looking forward to the event with great anticipation. “We are reaching across America and the world with our LIATI message, and Atlanta is the first stop on our tour,” she explains. LIATI is an acronym for Love is All There Is. The “Believe” song and video has received acclaim from music enthusiasts in the V.I., the Caribbean region, the U.S. and other countries. The song debuted in September and since then Francis has been interviewed on numerous mainland and Caribbean radio stations telling listeners how STB is working in the community on behalf of children and their families. In reflecting on how well the song and video have been received, Francis said “we are humbled by our growing audience of fans who not only love the music but have taken our message of non-violence and the importance of family love to heart.”

The event is hosted by Star Time Promotions in association with Exquizite management, an entertainment company owned by Levi McSheen.  Thirty percent of the proceeds from the V.I. Reunion will go to STB to assist the organization in continuing its work.  In advertising the reunion, McSheen said that he is “asking all people to come together in unity and stand for peace and against violence in the world.”

Confirmed to perform at the Reunion are V.I. artists including Verse Simmonds and Rena Faith who performs on the “Believe” song and are featured in the  video. Madd People Crew, Daddy Locks, Dovey Magnum, King Lion, Pumpa and the Unit, Bad Kat, Benny Demus—DJ to recording artist Akon, and the well known recording duo from St. Thomas, Rock City, will also attend. There will be plenty of popular DJ’s from home including the Mighty Avalanche, and DJ’s  Poppy Pops, Slik, and Karl. The event will be hosted by DJ Kevy Kev,  a radio personality in Orlando who is promoting the event on his weekly show “The Kevy Kev Mixshow”, which airs in Atlanta with syndication in St Kitts and Gambia, Africa.  Kareem Francis, coordinator of the LIATI Project and, Masai Harris, musical director for “Believe” are also scheduled to attend.

Cheryl Francis is asking Virgin Islanders at home to encourage family members and friends in the Atlanta area to join her at the 5^th Annual V.I. Reunion at Club Pisces in Stone Mountain this weekend. “They will not only be supporting an important cause, but it’s going to be a great party!” she said.

For more information about the Reunion visit www.startimepromotion.com or email theliatiproject@stopthebleedingusvi.org. Fans can “like” STB on its facebook page “Stop the Bleeding Foundation.” To make a donation, visit www.stopthebleedingusvi.org. “Believe” the song and the ringtone can be downloaded at most internet music stores.

The concept of Stop the Bleeding came about in a vision of hope and progress as Mrs. Cheryl Francis, wife of Lt. Governor Gregory R. Francis, interacted on numerous occasions with young people, parents, grandparents, concerned citizens, professionals and families in her daily execution of her role of an unofficial ambassador to the peoples of the U. S. Virgin Islands. As she attentively listened to the various groups as they shared their concerns about the numerous issues affecting our young people, Mrs. Francis was moved with compassion and wanted to help bring about change in these Virgin Islands. She decided to leverage the influence of her position to coordinate with others to positively impact the lives of our young people.

Mrs. Francis envisions an organization that would not only be a strong voice against neglect and abuse perpetrated against our children, but one that would work collectively with other organizations in a public/private partnership to protect and educate our children so that they may collectively enjoy happier homes and brighter futures.

The purpose of the “Stop the Bleeding Foundation Inc: Framework for Excellence” is to outline a plan of action to collectively address and respond to the acute social challenges facing the young people of our Virgin Islands community in a collaborative, cohesive and results-oriented manner.

To learn more visit our home online now.