Posted by Ellen on March 03, 1999 at 12:28:14:
Pump Girl Whirl Tour to Launch New CD Tuesday, March 9, 1999 11 AM At Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
Troup of Teens Beat Back Diabetes-Related Depression With Music
Whirl Tour Includes Stops in Los Angeles, New York & Chicago
Songwriter/Producer HB Barnum Helps Pump Girls Hit the High Notes
LOS ANGELES, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Move over Spice Girls, The Pump Girls are here and they're pumped for the path to stardom! LA's hottest new teen music sensation, The Pump Girls, is set to release their debut album and kick off their WHIRL TOUR today with an event to entertain the kids at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, topped with a private release party tonight at a chic LA mansion.
Industry insiders, media and fans are invited to join their already considerable following for some serious pumping up of the beat, the volume and... the insulin?
Whoa, wait a minute -- insulin? What does insulin have to do with music?
That's right, that which brought these four girls, aged 12 to 15, together is their insulin pumps. For Sara, Colleen, Brittany, and Janelle, aka The Pump Girls, the last few years haven't been easy. Living with juvenile diabetes, the Southern California teens coped with daily insulin injections, constant monitoring by their parents and doctors, and the depression of living with a chronic condition. But that was before February 1998 when the girls began to sing together at a camp for diabetic kids sponsored by PADRE, the Pediatric Adolescent Diabetes Research and Education Foundation. On Tuesday, March 9, the girls will sing, dance and sign autographs in celebration of the release of their first CD. The public is invited to attend these events.
"It was definitely not fun before. Before we met at camp. Before we learned how to manage our diabetes. And before we started wearing our pumps that help us get the right amount of insulin," says Brittany Rausch, 12, a member of the band, adding, "Now, we're singing, dancing and talking -- a lot -- about how we're dealing with diabetes." Insulin pumps made national headlines recently when the new Miss America, Nicole Johnson, actually showed hers during the pageant.
Now, The Pump Girls are about to kick-off a "whirl tour," not only to mark the release of their new CD, but also to encourage other teens living with diabetes to adopt a more positive outlook on life, motivating these teens to take charge of their condition and learn to manage it. As part of their "whirl tour," the group will be making stops at children's hospitals, diabetes care centers and schools, through which they hope to deliver both their music and a message.
"I found these girls through my friend Jackie Teichmann, executive director at PADRE, who not only thought they had talent but also felt that they delivered an important message -- and that is that kids with diabetes don't have to be overcome by their disease. They can learn to manage it," said HB Barnum, noted Hollywood record producer and songwriter whose Little Star Records label has recorded The Pump Girls' first tracks. "What we've done is give these girls their childhood back. That's a major gift. Now we're ready to sing about it to the world," he added. In addition to The Pump Girls, Mr. Barnum works with Aretha Franklin, Puff Daddy and Barry White, among others.
An estimated 500,000 to one million Americans have Type I diabetes; nearly one out of every 600 children develops Type I diabetes. Chronic disease during adolescence renders an already difficult phase of life even more challenging. Teenagers, understandably, often perceive diabetes as having a negative impact on their lives and, as a result, may be depressed and find the disorder difficult to manage. Dr. Katie Devlin, Pediatric Psychologist at the Children's Hospital of Orange County remarks, "diabetes is a huge challenge for a teenager. Teens are naturally seeking greater independence and control of their lifestyle at the same time they are assuming greater control of the management of their diabetes. The Pump Girls could really help other kids struggling with the disease -- help motivate them to take charge of their lives and stay well."
A portion of the proceeds from The Pump Girls CDs' sales will go to a special "Pump for Life" Fund which assists children around the world in need of insulin pump therapy.
To get The Pump Girls new CD, visit your local record store or call your favorite radio station to request their music. To receive more information on The Pump Girls, including their Tour Schedule, Fan Club materials, and a Lesson Plan for teachers educating students about diabetes, please visit www.pumpgirls.com or call 800-600-7111 x 221.
Kids living with diabetes and their friends are also encouraged to host informative Pump Girl Parties, which include games, Pump Girl trivia and the exclusive Pump Girl Yo Yo. To obtain a Pump Girl Party Pack, please call 800-600-7111 x 221.
SOURCE Little Star Records
CO: Little Star Records
ST: California
IN: ENT HEA
SU: PDT
03/03/99 11:00 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
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