Episode 12 - Laugh of Hope - Interview with Alika Hope, Fdr of the Ray of Hope Project

In this episode, I interview Ms. Alika Hope, founder of the Ray of Hope Project. The Ray of Hope Project started with the goal of using African American spirituals to shed light on the combined anti-slavery efforts of blacks and whites in 19th century New England and now includes nine musicians and actors who incorporate African American spirituals with live music in their participatory programsLast year, she won the Ms. New England Pageant which qualified her to compete in the Ms. America® Pageant, Inc. Alika Hope is the First Black Woman to Be Crowned Ms. New England America. As part of her program for the Ms. America® Pageant, she launched the Laugh of Hope Project (https://laughofhopeproject.com/). The Laugh of Hope Project's main mission is to encourage all people, everywhere, to laugh more and laugh fully. To that end, Alika makes appearances at nursing homes, schools, charity events, community events, and other locations. She starts with a short (15-30) minute program called "The Hope of Laughter" and then move on to teaching people the whys and (if necessary) the hows of laughter! All programs are FREE for non-profits and community organizations in New England, Philadelphia, and NYC.Alika has traveled extensively as an actress and singer, appearing on stages in New England (Berkshires, Western Mass, Boston, CT, VT), and nationally with Opera Company of Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, Chicago’s Navy Pier, Natchez Festival of Music, Oregon Jewish Museum, and other locations. She won a Gold Global Music Award for her album, Hope for a Motherless Child. Ms. Hope is co-host of “CT Perspective TV”, airing on Fox-61.Sometimes you just have to laugh -- even when the world is going to hell in a handbag. Ms. Hope is on a mission to make the world laugh. Please enjoy this episode. If you like what you hear in the podcast, please subscribe, Like the show and follow me on Twitter at @PetersonThe or @Guerillapreneur. If you want to support my efforts, please donate at If you are interested in business and entrepreneurship, check out my other podcasts, Guerrillapreneur: The Art of Waging Small Business Warfare (https://www.spreaker.com/show/guerrillapreneur-podcast), Gigging: Everything and the Sharing Economy (https://www.spreaker.com/show/gigging-everything-sharing-economy), and Career Coaching Xs and Os (https://www.spreaker.com/show/careercoaching-xs-and-os).Guest (Alika Hope) Social Media Contacts - Web: http://rayofhopeproject.com and https://laughofhopeproject.com/Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlikaHope Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alikahope Twitter: https://twitter.com/alikahopeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/alikahopeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-mark-peterson-show--652501/support.