"Rachel's Song" by Al White

Rachel's Song

For Immediate Release
Friday, Sept. 6

Singer and songwriter Al White will present an original composition, RACHEL'S SONG, to Robert and Janet Cooke on Tuesday, September 10, 2002, at 10:00 a.m. The date will mark eight months since the Cookes' daughter, Rachel Cooke, went jogging and never returned. The presentation will take place in the Fellowship Hall of Crestview United Methodist Church, 1300 Morrow St., in Austin.

Al White, from Winnie, Texas, father of two who has been performing for 20 years, was touched by Rachel Cooke's story and composed the song as a tribute to her and all other missing children. A week after learning of Rachel's abduction, he wrote and recorded RACHEL'S SONG.

The proceeds from the sale of this CD will benefit the Rachel Cooke Search and the Rachel Alert Network, established by the Cooke family to help other families who have loved ones abducted. RACHEL'S SONG will be available for purchase at www.rachelalert.org or as a downloadable MP3 file for $5.00 or as a CD single for $10.00. (includes S&H)

Read more about Al White at www.alwhite.com and
Rachel Cooke at www.rachelcookesearch.org.

 

"This is an anthem for the summer of 2002." ...Bill Bickel

http://crime.about.com/library/blfiles/blrachelcooke-n.htm

 

Rachel's Song

Hey I don't hear the chatter of the usual forum glick goin on here...where is everybody?

Man the silence is more than I can stand...so I guess I'll just rattle on until I get someones attention....

Hey JR are you talking on the phone....motivate these people...I'm feeling lonely here.

 

Shyshi5

Yes, sorry, I have been on the phone. IMHO, people are hearing the clip from Rachel's SOng and then hugging their big box of Kleenex tight. You know the impact the song makes once you hear it, and the second and third...times you hear it.

 

Listen to "RACHEL'S SONG" Here

The update to the Cooke's Rachel Alert Network site has been completed so that you may now hear a short clip from Rachel's Song, download a copy for listening for a small donation, or have a CD of Rachel's Song sent directly to you.

Please take a look <b><a href="http://207.159.149.158/rachelssong.html">HERE</a></b>.

I have also looped a 50 second sample of Rachel's Song at the <b><a href="http://www.forumsforjustice.org/">top-level Forums for Justice Page</a></b> or you can click on the button below to hear the song clip.

<center><a href="http://www.forumsforjustice.org/Al_White_Rachels_Song_30-sec.mp3"><img src="http://www.forumsforjustice.org/images/rachelssongclip.jpg"></a></center>

<b><a href="http://crime.about.com/mbiopage.htm">Bill Bickel of About.com</a></b> proclaims "This is an anthem for the summer of 2002."

 

Rahcel's Song lyrics

Here everyone...

Rachel’s Song’


Chorus:
Here’s a song, singing ‘bout the children
The ones who’ve been taken from their homes.
They’re not alone, families please be strong
God’s watching over them while they’re gone.
This is Rachel’s song

Verse:
We go to sleep at night thinking that they’re safe
When a stranger comes and takes them away
They know it’s wrong, won’t they leave our kids alone.

Chorus:
Here’s a song, singing ‘bout the children
The one’s who’ve been taken from their homes.
They’re not alone, families please be strong
God’s watching over them while they’re gone.
This is Rachel’s song

Speaking:
“I never understood why someone would harm a child,
But to all the families who have lost a child,
Leave a light on, in hope, that God will guide them home.â

Repeat Chorus: 1 Time
End with: This is Rachel’s song…4 times

 

Some Humor

"Excuse me, Sir."
> >
> > "Is that you again, Moses?"
> >
> > I'm afraid it is, sir."
> >
> > "What is it this time, Moses? More computer problems?"
> >
> > "How did you guess?"
> >
> > "I don't have to guess, Moses. Remember?"
> >
> > "Oh, yeah. I forgot."
> >
> > "Tell me what you want, Moses."
> >
> > "But you already know. Remember?"
> >
> > "Moses!"
> >
> > "Sorry, sir."
> >
> > "Well, go ahead, Moses. Spit it out."
> >
> > "Well, I have a question, sir. You know those 'ten things' you sent me?"
> >
> > "You mean the Commandments, Moses?"
> >
> > "That's it. I was wondering if they were important."
> >
> > "What do you mean 'were important', Moses? Of course, they're important,
> > otherwise I wouldn't have sent them to you."
> >
> > "Well, sorry, but I lost them. I could say the dog ate them, but of
> > course you would see right through that."
> >
> > "What do you mean 'you lost them'? Are you trying to tell me you didn't
> > save them, Moses?"
> >
> > "No, sir. I forgot."
> >
> > "You should always save, Moses."
> >
> > "Yeah, I know. You told me that before. I was going to, but I forgot. I
> > did send them to some people before I lost them though."
> >
> > "And did you hear back from any of them?"
> >
> > "You already know I did. What about the one guy who said he never uses
> > 'shalt not'? Can he change the words a little bit?"
> >
> > "Yes, Moses. As long as he doesn't change the meaning."
> >
> > "And what about the guy who thought your stance was a little harsh, and
> > recommended calling them the 'Ten Suggestions,' or letting people pick
> > one or two to try for a while?"
> >
> > "Moses, I'll act like I didn't hear that."
> >
> > "I think that means 'no.' Well, what about the guy who said I was
> > scamming him?"
> >
> > "I think the term is 'spamming,' Moses."
> >
> > "Oh, yeah. I e-mailed him back and told him I don't even eat that stuff,
> > and I have no idea how you can send it to someone through a computer."
> >
> > "And what did he say?"
> >
> > "You know what he said. He used Your name in vain. You don't think he
> > might have sent me one of those - er - plagues, and that's the reason I
lost
> > those ten things, do you?"
> >
> > "They're called 'viruses,' Moses."
> >
> > "Whatever! This computer stuff is just too much for me. Can we just go
> > back to those stone tablets? It was hard on my back taking them out and
> > reading them each day, but at least I never lost them."
> >
> > "We'll do it the new way, Moses."
> >
> > "I was afraid you would say that, sir."
> >
> > "Moses, what did I tell you to do if you messed up?"
> >
> > "You told me to hold up this rat and stretch it out toward the computer."
> >
> > "It's a mouse, Moses. Mouse! Mouse! And did you do that?"
> >
> > "No, I decided to try the technical support first. After all, who knows
> > more about this stuff than you, and I really like your hours. By the
way,
> > sir, did Noah have two of these mice on the ark?"
> >
> > "No, Moses."
> >
> > "One other thing. Why didn't you name them 'frogs' instead of 'mice,'
> > because didn't you tell me the thing they sit on is a pad?"
> >
> > "I didn't name them, Moses. Man did, and you can call yours a frog if
you want to."
> >
> > "Oh, that explains it. Kind of like Adam, huh, sir? Bet some woman told
> > him to call it a mouse. After all, wasn't it a woman who named one of the
> > computers Apple?"
> >
> > "Say good night, Moses."
> >
> > "Wait a minute, sir. I am stretching out the mouse, and it seems to be
> > working. Yes, a couple of the 'ten things' have come back."
> >
> > "Which ones are they, Moses?"
> >
> > "Let's see....
> >
> > Thou shalt not steal from any grave an image' and 'Thou shalt not
uncover thy neighbor's wife.'"
> >
> > "Turn the computer off, Moses.
> >
> > I'm sending you another set of stone tablets.

 

Thank you everyone

I just wanted to thank everyone involved in this tremendous effort. We are almost ready for the press announcement on Tuesday. This early work will make the last two days easier to complete the task.

A special thanks for our own Dunvegan. She got the on-line download running while sick with strep throat

I talked to Tim Miller today and he will be here for the conference.

 

RE: Thank You

RC
No need to thank me...I enjoyed every minute of this project. I work for free most of the time anyway...lol, I don't cook for free. That's a chore.
I'm glad this will make things easier for you in the next upcoming days. God bless you and Janet and JoAnn....:smile:

 

We, as a people, will stand up, make noise and help our children!

We will stand for "no more"! We will keep our eyes open, we will take a few minutes each week and email our government authorities, we will join a group, we will sign petitions, we will pray, etc.... We will take a few minutes and make a difference in our little corner! We, as a people, will have every corner of our world filled with care, hope and love!

OUR CHILDREN NEED US!!!

Dear, dear friends, I can never express the range of emotions I feel, for a time, being associated with a group like you all. The words are just not available.

The struggle, the joy, the support, the love and the sense of being involved in something bigger than us. Back in January, when we began on this journey looking for our lost child and praying for this family, we couldnt have imagined our path. May we KNOW trust that God works his plan in his way and not ours! I may have alittle more of a clue of why we are here and maybe how things work.

This is truly a GIFT of being outside of myself and experiencing God's Love thru others.

This only confirms that there are many blessings that come out of devastation. That we can follow our Lord's guidance, that we are his co-workers!! And I like having a boss like Him/Her....(smile)

I will never be able to thank you all so I will say God Bless You All!! May you remember God is always within us and fills up our bodies and souls as we let Him/Her.

Congratulations Everyone (all included) for doing such a committed, magnificent job....

Ok, I knew I would get mushy, thats why it took some time...lol (laugh out loud)

Yall are great!!!!!!

 

Mushy

Hello everyone! It has been a deep joy for me to be involved in the launch of Rachel's Song. I know none of us did this for the thanks as much as we did this for the children. I thank everyone else for all the help, support and faith that this would be something to propel us to the next step of National and world awareness.

I thank god every day for this journey he has led me to. I embrace it with determination to be a voice and be a part of the driving force that makes this place safer for all of our children.

I was burning and packaging CD's until my computer crashed last night but I am back up now and have much work to do so I will close for now.

 

This morning I am heading from San Francisco to Austin to attend the Tuesday presentation of "Rachel's Song" to Robert and Janet Cooke. As always, I'm looking forward to meeting with the Cooke family again, as well as this time meeting Al White, the author-songwriter that created Rachel's Song, and perhaps some of the members of his amazing team who have been working so incredibly hard behind the scenes to make this event a reality.

As if she doesn't have enough to do, maybe JR will be kind enough to act as official photographer and even post photos to the forums after the event.

<center><a href="http://www.forumsforjustice.org/Al_White_Rachels_Song_30-sec.mp3"><img src="http://www.forumsforjustice.org/images/rachelssongclip.jpg"></a></center>

<b><a href="http://crime.about.com/mbiopage.htm">Bill Bickel of About.com</a></b> proclaims "This is an anthem for the summer of 2002."

Frankly, after years in radio and my recent stint at Napster, I'm a hard judge of music. And, had the song not warranted it, I would not mention it...but the fact is that I am most impressed by this piece of music...Rachel's Song elegantly frames a powerful message in a classically inspirational ballad.

I personally have no doubt that the launch of Rachel's Song will have wide-spread acceptance...we are already about the business of translating Rachel's Song into as many languages as possible. I expect that the buzz will build very quickly after Tuesday's dedication.

While I'm in Austin, I'll also take the opportunity to present Tim Miller, Director of <b><a href="http://texasequusearch.org">Texas Equusearch</a></b>, with a portable HP laptop computer on behalf of the over 200 members of Forums for Justice.

<img src="http://www.forumsforjustice.org/images/omnibook.jpg"> <----The HP OmniBook 4100.

And, we're presenting it in this handy-dandy can't-loose-track-of-it bright yellow messenger bag, replete with the FFJ logo:

<img src="http://www.forumsforjustice.org/images/ffj_messenger_bag.jpg"> <--- The Forums for Justice messenger bag.

Tim had expressed to me Equusearch's need for portable computing equipment as the Equusearch task force always heads directly into the field at the first notification of a missing person.

The laptop we'll be presenting Equusearch with is configured with MS Word, Photoshop, and Acrobat Distiller so that Equusearch may create flyers for the missing on-site. It also has been outfitted with a networking and modem card so that it can connect to the Internet to upload and distribute posters via e-mail and/or to local photocopying shops for quick mass printing.

As I'm staying with JR while in the Austin area, I'll get with her and we'll go over the process of creating .pdf flyers, then I'll leave it to her to do the "knowledge transfer" to the Equusearch staff.

I've found that Texas Equusearch is an extraordinary emergency response team: when the call goes out, Tim and his members are immediately in the field, setting up command centers and fanning out to find the missing person. Texas Equusearch searches for children, adults, seniors, the handicapped, the medically endangered and the mentally incapacitated. They search for the missing regardless of age, race, or gender. They search with no criteria other than that the person is lost.

Texas Equusearch is an incredible organization and it is an honor to be a member, and an associate of these amazingly dedicated people.

<b>To our readers</b>...If you have not yet heard <b><a href="http://207.159.149.158/rachelssong.html">Rachel's Song</a></b>, I invite you to take a moment to do so.

And then, please consider downloading the song or purchasing the CD and thereby making a small donation to the <b><a href="http://www.rachelalert.org">Rachel Alert Network</a></b> that Robert and Janet Cooke are working to set up as a nonprofit organization to assist and support families of abducted persons.<ol>Mission Statement from the Rachel Alert Network website:

The Rachel Alert Network, or RAN, is an organization to help prevent abductions through awareness education and to provide information to friends and families of abducted persons. This information may be in the form of manuals that are downloaded or pointers to other organizations that can help with missing person posters, searches, publicity, victims rights and many other tasks.

Robert and Janet Cooke, the parents of missing youth Rachel Cooke, formed this organization in 2002 to help other parents and loved ones of missing persons. The Cookes' personal experiences with law enforcement, the media, search groups and victims' rights groups are documented here. There is also helpful data gathered from other people, organizations and books.

In addition to providing information, RAN is dedicated to providing equal assistance to everyone. This assistance is provided regardless of age, race, sex, family income, location, or religion. RAN is committed to changing laws and meeting with the media to change the way some missing people are not given a fair chance.

There is nothing worse than losing a loved one through an abduction. Not knowing his or her whereabouts is one of the most traumatic feelings possible. The Rachel Alert Network is here to help those people in any way possible. </ol><b><a href="http://207.159.149.158/rachelssong.html">Rachel's Song</a></b> is actually quite wonderful and the cause is certainly just.

 

Awareness is key

I look forward to meeting with Dunvegan, JR, Tim, and Al White and his team tomorrow. We can't let the 9/11 news blasts make us forget about the other threats out there. There are a lot more murderers, molesters, and rapists in the United States, than foreign terrorists.

We have to be alert and watch for all of them, foreign and domestic threats.

 

See and hear Al White

Registered users of kvue.com can see and hear Al White performing RACHEL's SONG on kvue.com.

http://www.kvue.com/special/0910kvuerachelcooke-jw.bcddd12.html

{snip}
Performer's song honors Rachel Cooke
09/10/2002
By Sarah Kleiner
Special to KVUE.com

This is a story about two fathers. One spent countless hours searching for his missing daughter. The other spent two hours writing a song for her.

Eight months after the disappearance of Rachel Cooke, singer and songwriter Al White released his single ‘Rachel’s Song’ in the hopes of keeping the search for Rachel alive.

Family members gathered at the Crestview United Methodist Church earlier today to hear White perform the song and to accept a plaque from White in the honor of Rachel.

“It means a lot that someone cares, that someone would go to the trouble to write a beautiful song,†said Rachel’s father, Robert Cooke. “It’s not just about Rachel. It’s about all of the children and adults that have been taken.â€

Robert said his initial reaction to the song was hard to describe. “I felt a wave of sadness, appreciation and beauty all at once,†he said.
{snip}

 

Thanks for pointing that out.

Thanks RC! That was a treat, they did a nice job covering the story.

 

Thanks to Everyone...

Thank you, WY...our "Roving Reporter"...you scooped the local Texas news all the way from the
east coast with your report of this morning.

JR says, "We'll just have to start calling you, "Scooping You."

Checking the receipts on Rachel's Song, we have to date received four online MP3 sales (two CDs,
two MP3 downloads,) and thirteen CDs.

We shall keep you updated on the radio stations that give airplay to Rachel's Song.

Today <b><a href="http://crime.about.com/library/weekly/aa-rachelssong.htm">at Bill Bickel's About.com web site</a></b> he devoted an entire page to Rachel's Song and reportage about the
song's debut.

If you have a moment, please take a moment to visit Bill's tribute.

We also wish to thank the members of Forums for Justice for supporting the release of Rachel's Song and this forum efforts in all that we strive to do.

This is just the beginning....

 

My journal will help get the word out

Tuesday September 10

A group of us met Al White today and Mr. White presented Janet and me with RACHEL'S SONG. Mr. White also sang the song while KVUE, FOX 7, and KEYE filmed him. It's a beautiful song that we are honored to receive. Kvue.com put the compete song on their web site. To access RACHEL'S SONG on their site enter: kvue.com.

All proceeds from the song will go to help find Rachel and other missing persons. Information about the song may be found at: rachelalert.org. We are making the song available free to any radio station in the world. Contact your favorite radio station and request they play RACHEL's SONG. If they don't have the song, tell them to e-mail rachelalert@yahoo.com and ask for instructions to download the song.

Tim Miller, the director of Texas EquuSearch, and my friend Leia
from forumsforjustice.org also attended the event. Leia presented a notebook computer to Tim. Forums for Justice is donating the computer to Texas EquuSearch to use in their ongoing quest to find missing persons.

I will join the country tomorrow morning in remembering September 11, 2002. Many good people died that day and we must remember that there are people that try to take our freedom away. The foreign terrorists are trying to scare us from attending publish events, going to work, and flying on a plane. The domestic terrorists are making our women and children afraid they may be raped or abducted. We must stand up to both of these threats and we must win!

 

Our first national contact

Bob Walcot from Laura Recovery Center called yesterday. He was contacted by James Robinson's people from the Christian Broadcasting Network. They heard the song and they are interested in running Rachel's story. I we give more details after I call CBN.

 

Update on James Robinson

It turns out that I confused James Robinson with Pat Robinson. James Robinson has a TV show called LIFE TODAY, which is shown in PAX and ABC Family Network, and some others. Rachel's story will be presented to their management and the woman will get back with me.

It is a religous program and so they want more than just a news type show on Rachel. I think that I have enough "miracles" that have occured in the search from Rachel and I told Colleen about them. Of course the biggest miracle has not happened yet.

 

RC

Fantastic! This is just the type of thing we all hoped to hear once Rachel's Song was released. Now...we need other stations to pick up Rachel's story!