Elevate Cape project aims to bring people, efforts and results together

Inspired by the Lift Up Lou project in Louisville, Kentucky, Elevate Cape aims to bring people and projects together who are already working toward a common goal: betterment.

"I thought it was a really interesting approach," Downes said of the Kentucky project.

Downes, who does community outreach for the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri and is also a certified yoga instructor at Shakti & Free Studio (she also leads yoga at the riverfront), said the quarantine meant the Arts Council had to change its model pretty quickly, and so did several others.

"I saw how many businesses and organizations were doing this, all putting out the same message: Shop local, support local people," Downes said. "When you see everyone on the same page, why not channel that into one accord so it's not a bunch of disparate parts?"

Downes moved to Cape Girardeau from Chicago about five years ago, she said, and one big difference

"So many people are putting in so much work, and you don't want that to go ignored," Downes said. "These are people's passions."

Downes said while there's inspiration everywhere, it's putting in the follow-through behind it that can be tricky. A lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into a collaboration like this, but, she said, "When we brought everyone together, it was effortless. I couldn't believe how great it was to work with them. It's been really cool to see."

So far, Elevate Cape has done fundraisers, including one for the Islamic Center after the arson in April, a food drive for Christ Church of the Nazarene's food effort, a food drive to benefit the Safe House for Women (going on now), and next week, Moms Demand Action will be featured on Elevate Cape's page to spotlight Gun Violence Awareness Week.

"We have a lot of good people here in town," Downes said. "That's what I really love about Cape. I was really involved in art and activism in Chicago, and you could do individual things, but it was hard to build a movement. Here, there are only so many people, and the people building the movement are running in a lot of the same circles, doing a lot of the same things. There's a lot of crossover."

To Downes, that crossover meant potential.

"[The Arts Council] did an event for Convivial [earlier this year], bringing together Moms Demand Action, Jefferson Elementary, Renita Green [pastor of St. James AME Church in Cape Girardeau], the Honorable Young Men's Club -- sitting in that room that night was overwhelming, how powerful people are together," Downes said. "I think that was really the jumping off point of seeing how everybody can work together."

Beyond that, Downes said, it's no coincidence that this all came together earlier this year, as COVID-19 was shaping more decisions on personal and professional levels.

"I think stepping up when there's a call is a huge part of leadership, and I think that's really what the project came from," she said. "You see there's a need, see a lot of people struggling, and you answer the call. Not only have people answered the call, now we're getting new projects and really working with local businesses, getting them spotlighted. It's pretty incredible."

Downes said the working-together aspect fascinates her. "I read a lot about consciousness, being a yoga instructor," she said. "How can we use our consciousness to create sustainable prosperity? If you have consciousness and it's not helping anybody, it's kind of wasted."

The community has resources, Downes added, and it's not always about money. It's about time and talent, or anything else people can bring to the table. "I think when people feel invited to join in, no matter what resources they have, that's where the magic happens," Downes said.

For the future, well, Downes said the focus is on continuing to build partnerships.

"The thing is, we have to be really careful, how far in advance we strategize with physical events," Downes said. That means discussions about socially-distanced, outdoor events, virtual events and tools to help bring people together -- "in public, but in a way people can come out and feel safe and celebrate Cape."

Elevate Cape will also feature businesses and organizations and the events they're planning, Downes said.

"It's hard to vacillate between vision and action, but we're trying," Downes said. "We're trying."

Also, the project will feature information on next week's municipal election, she said.

Find Elevate Cape on Facebook @elevatecape.

Courtesy of Damar Johnson

New single release Sunday

Damar Johnson

Cape Girardeau native and Christian musical artist Damar Johnson has a new piece ready to be released internationally on Sunday: a lead single for a full project, out later this year.

Johnson said it all came about from interpreting a hymn, "Because He Lives," and incorporating the interpretation with the original to create a new masterpiece: "He Lives."

He's been singing since he was 4 years old, and his first indie label release was in 2014. He went to college on a music scholarship, and said right now, music is his full-time thing.

"It's difficult, because we're in the pandemic right now, as a musician, I can't do the normal travel and radio promotions, but music is my main focus, my main grind -- trying to reach the masses as much as possible," Johnson said. "I'm excited to be back home, off the road, back in my community and really spreading the message and ministry across Southeast Missouri."

Johnson's single will be available on digital music platforms, including Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify and more.

Find more on Facebook: Damar Johnson, Instagram: DamarSonofJohn, Twitter: DamarSonofJohn.

The Scout podcast is back

Rustmedia's daily email newsletter letting you in on happenings here and beyond has a podcast, and it's back after COVID-19 forced the crew out of the studio. Check it out at www.thescout.io/podcast.

UJRO is up and running

Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization has a slew of events coming up, provided all goes to plan with Gov. Mike Parson's phase 2 reopening plan.

The following is from a newsletter I received Wednesday morning.

Municipal Band: Tentatively, at 7 p.m. next Thursday (so, June 4), the Jackson Municipal Band will begin its summer performances at the city park Band Shell, pending approval by the park board.

Rock in the Rock Garden: Also pending approval by the park board, Rock in the Rock Garden, an informal concert series in the city park's Rock Garden (near Hubble Creek Bridge) will be held at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, beginning June 5. Lawn chairs or blankets are a good idea to bring along, and refreshments, for this free concert.

Farmers Market: The Train Depot hosts the Jackson Farmers Market every Tuesday from noon to 5 p.m., May through September. The market is back to regular park and shop, and vendors have abundant fresh produce, sweets, prepared food and crafts.

Cruisin' Uptown Jackson: Because of social distancing logistics, Cruisin' Uptown Jackson in June is cancelled. Check back for updates on July's event.

Iron Mountain Railroad: The St. Louis Iron Mountain Railroad is open with all trains running as scheduled. Afternoon trains leave at 1 p.m., and evening events are scheduled for June 6 and 27. More info: (573) 243-1688 or check the group's Facebook page.