The Self-Development of People Committee of the Synod of the Trinity is pleased to award monetary grants to thes two hard working and promising self-development projects. The committee is excited to be partners with ANGEL Treats and Stargazers as each progresses towards the goal of becoming self-sustaining.  A short synopsis is available below on each.

ANGEL Treats is undertaking an entrepreneurial endeavor by starting their own business to create jobs and develop business skills for youth.  They plan to make and sell chocolate candy molded into different shapes, and chocolate coated sugar cookies and marshmallows.  As a marketing niche, they plan to package the products in decorative boxes that will be an attractive part of the product.  This will be a Christian-based business called “ANGEL Treats” with the letters of ANGEL standing for Always Needing God’s Everlasting Love.  A theme statement will be, “Making the world a sweeter place.”  Each package will include a scripture verse that shares God’s love and hope.

The products will be sold through connections locally, in the various Pittsburgh Presbytery churches as well as on the web.  ANGEL Treats also hopes that local media will find their endeavor exciting enough to do special interest stories that will publicize the products.

There are few part-time jobs for teenagers in this community.  The city of Duquesne is the third most economically depressed community in the state and the youth are not well prepared for higher education and future careers.  The community offers few programs for youth development and this project with allow youth a chance to succeed.

The main purpose is to create employment opportunities and develop employable skills:

	Advisors will help the youth devise an employment application
	Youth will fill out the applications
	Advisory Board will assist the youth in developing an evaluation tool for the positions
	Youth - provide jobs for 20 teenagers
	Provide field trips that broaden the prespective of the youth
	Work with consultants that will teach the youth about business practices
	Give the youth an opportunity to gain skills in interviewing, employment, operating a business
	Students will have to read, write, and calculate in order to operate their business
	Create jobs which each student will "own" and which will be their business in  whch they can succeed and be proud of

This is the first grant to be awarded to ANGEL Treats by the Synod's SDOP Committee.

Stargazers is a group of struggling artists who created their organization because individually they were not able to break into the music business due to lack of money for agents and record deals.  Their mutual desire to succeed and excel in business prompted them to collaborate and form Stargazers which:

	shapes and molds creative ideas and works of art into reproducible forms - movies, short stories, documentaries, education& training pieces, PSAs, commercials, infomercial's, etc.
	affixes artwork to permanent and re-usable media - cds, dds, video, film, etc
	duplicates and packages products for distribution and sale
	provides marketing services to the community of need
	provides marketing services as a work-for-hire for larger community

Stargazers is intended to help artists manage their own careers without being exploited by other larger entities and as a group, support and assist each other in the business world.  Stargazers is the building and the various music and entertainment related projects are the rooms within that building.

Since the submission of their original proposal, Stargazers have packaged and distributed a Christmas album, which includes many of the standard Christmas favorites and one original song.  The album is titled December On my Mind.

A decision was made to work on two projects which are near completion:

(I) Feel It”	A complete CD/DVD package project which includes a fun, clean, song with an R&B flavor, a fun line-dance with instructions and group dancing on DVD
“This Time It’s For Real” (right)	Compilation of some of Shane’s never-released original songs.  This project will be introduced and released complete with photos and music on this website.

Plans for 2007 include:

	distribute a jazz album featureing Marva Josie
	record, promote, and sell a new group PWD (Praise, Worship and Deliverance)
	plan to book studio time to independent artists desiring to record their independent projects
	establish an on-line radio program where we will play, promote, and distribute our own and other independent artists’ musical works

This is the second grant that the Synod's SDOP Committee has given to Stargazers.

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