Sheltered Reality

Music with Meaning

Sheltered Reality (SR) is proud to be the country’s first nonprofit musical organization dedicated to helping those who live in less fortunate circumstances, especially children (e.g., homelessness, runaways, domestic violence, drug/alcohol abuse, etc.)

For more information go to: Sheltered Reality

For information specific to the

SR group at Immanue contact Kim Rathjen: kim@immanuel.us

Begun in 1997 as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, SR has dedicated itself to being a youth-oriented project, where youth members in SR use music and education as a way to reach out to audiences, motivating them to advocate for those in need, especially children and families.  The educational message presented focuses on facts, statistics, and real-life stories, and culminates with character education and ideas for action.  SR's unique percussive approach to performing music inspires the audience members to 'take on the world' and ensures that the message 'doing good is fun' is remembered by all in attendance.

 
Sheltered Reality is a nationally recognized, award-winning organization:

• In September, 2004, Steve Schlosser, Executive Director, was chosen by the National Jaycees as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans for 2004!  He had been awarded the Outstanding Young Iowan of the Year by the Iowa Jaycees on November 8, 2003.
  
• SR was also awarded the Presidential Award for Best Youth Project Aimed at Ending Homelessness in America, given to us on October 17, 2003, from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth!

• SR is proud to be the country’s first non-profit musical organization dedicated to helping those who live in less fortunate circumstances, especially children (e.g., homelessness, runaways, domestic violence, drug/alcohol abuse, etc.)
• SR is proud to be made up of mostly young people, ages 6-18, and to have a LONG waiting list of young people who want to join.  SR is even more proud to have shared our message with almost 22,689 young people to date, and to have inspired many of them to begin projects to help those in need; either at school, at church, or even on their own!
• SR is proud of its Music with Meaning curriculum that combines high-energy music with an educational meaning and serves to inspire others to volunteerism.  A typical show features both our own original “meaning” songs as well as our “percussion” songs which are rhythmically choreographed cover songs that have proven popular with all ages; literally 9 to 104!!
  
• SR is proud of the response of each new community; everywhere we have gone, people respond to our message with overwhelming enthusiasm and cannot seem to bring us back often enough.  We are currently booked solid almost one year in advance, and have a waiting list of almost 100 communities who want us to come!
• SR is proud to be doing its part in raising awareness of the issue on a national level, in drawing young people into the movement, and in helping create the next generation of advocates.
• SR is proud to have played for over 35,000 people
• SR released the second drum CD in January 2004.  We are glad that both the Music and the Meaning are exciting to all of our audiences!

For more information go to: Sheltered Reality