Kara Love Project Raises Funds for Wellness
Love, music, community and a whole lot of dancing marked the heartfelt and harmonious tenor of The Kara Love Project’s third annual Backyard Music Fundraiser. The event was held at the home of Lily and David Dulan. Lily Dulan, founder of The Kara Love Project (KLP), Maggie Lin, event coordinator, and volunteers orchestrated a beautiful evening of artists, musicians, and community to celebrate life and improve the lives of others. In October, 2019, more than 200 people from New York to Los Angeles gathered to support KLP as it raised awareness and support of its new Wellness Initiative — health and wellness programming that nurtures community and connection for children, adults, seniors and marginalized individuals locally and globally. As guests came together to show support for KLP, they also grooved to the legendary Ace of Cups, 1960’s all-female rock band along with other notable musicians, setting the stage for an evening of love, hope and positivity.
Background of the Backyard Music Fundraisers
In 2007, Lily and David lost their two-month-old daughter Kara Meyer Dulan to SIDS. Lily founded The Kara Love Project (KLP) in Kara’s memory, honoring her life with a foundation that promotes conscious giving and positive action for underserved and marginalized individuals and communities locally and around the globe. Over the past few years, the KLP Backyard Music Fundraiser has supported organizations such as The Unatti Foundation for Girls, The Dillon Henry Foundation’s Congo Peace School, Venice Arts, and Camp Brave Tails.
Supporting Music, Movement, and Meditation for Seniors
KLP teamed up with Spring Gross to help her give her Music, Movement, and Meditation program (Y.U.M.M.Y. Time) to communities that need it the most. Through KLP’s support, Spring and a team of qualified and charismatic facilitators deliver a weekly dose of musical medicine, meditation, yoga, and community to senior and adult residents of underserved nursing home facilities in Los Angeles. Over the past six months, this engaging, full-sensory program has enriched the lives of more than 150 seniors and adults in LA county.
According to gerontology expert Dr. Connie Corley, “the KLP Wellness Initiative is a landmark program that is changing the paradigm of senior care.” Lily said, “Seniors can be a forgotten audience and yet have so much to contribute to the fabric of our society. KLP wanted to find a way to have a healthy, lasting impact on seniors who are marginalized for whatever reason.”
The evening ushered in KLP’s Wellness Initiative with a video showcasing Spring Gross’ Music, Movement and Meditation program, followed by stellar musical performances by Joey Lugassy, Spring Gross, and the legendary Ace of Cups all-women rock group from the late 60s Haight-Ashbury. Denise Kaufman from Ace of Cups has been a personal mentor to Lily and a source of inspiration to many by the way she leads her life and work as a community leader and yoga teacher.
With a further nod to the past and focus on the present, the crowd was honored with a special guest appearance by Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills & Nash who, along with his wife Kristen and son Chris Stills, presented a service award to Ace of Cups for their generations of community good works. friendship and action.
Joey Lugassy, Lily Dulan, and Spring Groove
In fact, their backyard is where artist and musician Joey Lugassy and Micheline Berry wed and where Lily and Denise Kaufman’s (Ace of Cups) friendship took root nearly a decade ago. Lily is so grateful for Denise’s ongoing support and KLP was thrilled to partner with her and the Ace of Cups on their fundraiser.
Kara Love Project and the Wellness Initiatives
The brightly colored posters at the event featured those of all ages and cultures — images of smiling children and older adults tell the story of happiness, healing and hope. “We’re honored The Kara Love Project is touching a wide range of people young and old,” says Lily. “The aim of our Wellness Initiative is to make accessible the universal healing tools that help so many of us on the conscious path move through life with more, soul grace and dignity.”
Lily Dulan and the Name Work
Lily, an MFT Psychotherapist and Heart of Yoga Teacher, is looking forward to integrating additional Wellness Initiatives into the KLP fold over the next year. The Name Work is a method Lily developed to uncover the powerful qualities in a name to help people move through grief, loss, pain and suffering of all kinds. Lily has delivered her Name Work program to KLP’s community partners Venice Arts and Camp Brave Trails and has presented her work at professional conferences and on a variety of podcasts and radio shows in the field of healing. Also on the horizon, KLP has partnered with Maggie Lin, founder of the national non-profit Foster Nation. Plans are forthcoming to bring wellness and healing tools to foster youth who are matriculating out of the system. Lily is also working on a book about her Name Work method which is contracted to launch in early 2021.
Because of the generosity of their supporters, KLP will be expanding their Music, Movement, and Mediation program to three additional low-income senior facilities in 2020 and will acquire more instruments so that all of the participants can join if desired.
Learn More about Kara Love Project and Spring Groove
Learn more at: thekaraloveproject.org.
Learn more about Spring Groove and Y.U.M.M.Y Time: Your Ultimate Music Meditation Yoga Time, a Music, Movement, and Meditation Program at: springgroove.com/y-u-m-m-y-time.
Julie Lear contributed to the writing of this article with Shelley Karpaty
Photos by The Kara Love Project & Spring Groove
Shelley Karpaty is a yogi living in the Bay Area where she brings her spirit into writing, recruiting and career coaching. Medium: medium.com/@skarpaty and Instagram @shelleykarpaty