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Moving Forward Film Festival is the result of a 2007 National Film Contest by persons with MS, or about persons with MS. Each film is roughly seven to ten minutes in length.

MS Awareness Day Moving Forward Film Festival

Wednesday

March 12 at 2:00 PM

Five unique short films about living with multiple sclerosis, made by people affected by MS:

Kyle Surkovich - My Fight with MS

Fourteen-year-old Kyle Surkovich is an eighth grader at Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School in Hollidaysburg , PA. He is a member of the YMCA Swim team and the school chess club. In his spare time he enjoys mountain biking, digital photography, digital video work, cooking and competing in team triathlons along with his twin brother Todd and stepbrother CJ. He plans to attend culinary school to be a chef when he grows up.

“My Fight With MS” was his first video project. He dedicates it to the person he admires most, his dad, Tim Surkovich.

Fiona Hoey - up shot

Fiona Hoey was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001, and has never been healthier. She's given up cigarettes and cheap beer, and taken up exercise and fine wine. Fiona currently travels the globe as a media consultant, and recently returned back to New York City from a stint in Kabul , Afghanistan. Fiona dedicates her film to care partners; without them, there would no witness to the human spirit.

Kristie Salerno Kent - The Show Must Go On

Since childhood, Kristie Salerno Kent dreamed of a career in the entertainment industry and received her BFA in Theater from Syracuse University. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1999 and her lifelong dream of a stage career in theater seemed out of reach. After several years of denial, Kristie decided that the word dreams may end with an M and an S but her dreams don't end because of her MS. She is now a Singer/Songwriter/Producer and the CEO of her own production company, Whirlaway Productions, LLC. Now she combines her passion for music and the arts with her desire to help others. In October 2006, Kristie fulfilled one of her dreams by writing, recording, and producing her debut solo CD, "Believe".

Darrin Ramage - The Horror of it All

Darrin Ramage is owner of Brain Damage Films, an independent horror film company. He also operates a movie distribution company, Maxim Media International. He was diagnosed with MS over 11 years ago and has never slowed down. After three years of courtship, Darrin married Angie on March 30, 2002. On Dec 2, 2005, they became proud parents to their first child, Stone. In an amazing turn of events, Angie was diagnosed with MS six weeks after Stone's birth. Together, they forge a daily battle against the disease by staying positive. They use their experience to educate and inform the young adult community about the disease by serving as leaders of the 20's-30's Squad for the Arizona Chapter.

Jennifer Braddock - Here, Now

Jennifer Braddock is 24 years old, and works in the film industry as a camera assistant. Diagnosed with MS at the age of 20, while a junior in film school, Jennifer has always been a fighter. Her passions include filmmaking and cycling.

Simple Gifts Trio

Linda Littleton, Rachel Hall and Karen Hirshon with instruments in Simple Gifts

Here's what people have to say about Simple Gifts:

"These three women share a chemistry that infuses their music with energy, integrity, and joy. Theirs is a special gift." --David W. Johnson, Boston Globe

"Listening to [Simple Gifts] is like sampling an international buffet ... The number of instruments they pick up in a typical concert makes the group anything but simple. ... [This is] acoustic music of the highest order." --Will Lebzelter, Centre Daily Times

"Simple Gifts wowed our audience with a cultural and educational program that was fun, informative, and energetic." --Teresia Bush, Smithsonian Institution

Simple Gifts

Saturday

March 29 at 8:00 PM

Three women plus twelve instruments equals one good time when Simple Gifts takes the stage! This award-winning band performs on an impressive array of instruments, including two violins, concertina, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, recorders, guitar, and piano plus some more unusual instruments like the bowed psaltery, baritone fiddle, banjolin, guitjo, tabla, and doumbek.

Simple Gifts presents a wide variety of ethnic folk music, including everything from lively Irish jigs and down-home American reels to hard-driving Klezmer freilachs, haunting Gypsy melodies, and exotic Balkan dance tunes. Throughout their performances, they put their own distinctive stamp on traditional tunes, easily blending styles from diverse cultures. According to the Celtic Classic Festival in Bethlehem, PA, "few musicians can match the warmly personal stage presence Simple Gifts possesses." It is obvious that these women love the music they play, and they know how to share their talents, their enthusiasm, and their sense of humor with the audience.

Linda Littleton, Rachel Hall and Karen Hirshon have performed as Simple Gifts since 1995. The group was founded by Littleton in 1989 and has performed throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including appearances at the Smithsonian, Brooklyn Museum of Art, National Governors' Convention, Longwood Gardens, Whitaker Center, Hershey Theatre, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ontario Center for Performing Arts, Clarion Folk College, and dozens of colleges and universities throughout the region. Simple Gifts has opened for Natalie MacMaster, Tom Paxton, John McCutcheon, Robin and Linda Williams, Jay Unger and Molly Mason, and Boys of the Lough.

Simple Gifts has recorded six albums. Their newest, "Crossing Borders: Music of Many Lands," was recognized by Indie Acoustic as including "one of the best songs of 2005." Their previous album, "Time and Again," won a bronze star (third place) in the Crossroads Music Awards. Their recordings include traditional music from Romania, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, France, Sweden, Denmark, and America, plus original compositions by each group member.

This concert is presented collaboratively by Friends of Old Time Music and Dance (FOOTMAD), and West Virginia State University with financial assistance from the WV Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts, and is also partially supported by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour. Festival seating tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for Senior Citizens, $10 for students, and Children Under age 13 are FREE and can be purchased by calling 342-6522. Advance tickets may be purchased at Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream (225 Capitol Street in Charleston) and Fret 'n Fiddle (809 Pennsylvania Ave in St. Albans). For additional information visit the trio's web site at http://www.simplegiftsmusic.com.

WVSU Capitol Center | 123 Summers Street; Charleston, WV 25301 | (304) 342-6522 | Fax: (304) 766-5718

Moving Forward Film Festival is the result of a 2007 National Film Contest by persons with MS, or about persons with MS. Each film is roughly seven to ten minutes in length.	MS Awareness Day Moving Forward Film Festival Wednesday March 12 at 2:00 PM Five unique short films about living with multiple sclerosis, made by people affected by MS: Kyle Surkovich - My Fight with MS Fourteen-year-old Kyle Surkovich is an eighth grader at Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School in Hollidaysburg , PA. He is a member of the YMCA Swim team and the school chess club. In his spare time he enjoys mountain biking, digital photography, digital video work, cooking and competing in team triathlons along with his twin brother Todd and stepbrother CJ. He plans to attend culinary school to be a chef when he grows up. “My Fight With MS” was his first video project. He dedicates it to the person he admires most, his dad, Tim Surkovich. Fiona Hoey - up shot Fiona Hoey was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001, and has never been healthier. She's given up cigarettes and cheap beer, and taken up exercise and fine wine. Fiona currently travels the globe as a media consultant, and recently returned back to New York City from a stint in Kabul , Afghanistan. Fiona dedicates her film to care partners; without them, there would no witness to the human spirit. Kristie Salerno Kent - The Show Must Go On Since childhood, Kristie Salerno Kent dreamed of a career in the entertainment industry and received her BFA in Theater from Syracuse University. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1999 and her lifelong dream of a stage career in theater seemed out of reach. After several years of denial, Kristie decided that the word dreams may end with an M and an S but her dreams don't end because of her MS. She is now a Singer/Songwriter/Producer and the CEO of her own production company, Whirlaway Productions, LLC. Now she combines her passion for music and the arts with her desire to help others. In October 2006, Kristie fulfilled one of her dreams by writing, recording, and producing her debut solo CD, "Believe". Darrin Ramage - The Horror of it All Darrin Ramage is owner of Brain Damage Films, an independent horror film company. He also operates a movie distribution company, Maxim Media International. He was diagnosed with MS over 11 years ago and has never slowed down. After three years of courtship, Darrin married Angie on March 30, 2002. On Dec 2, 2005, they became proud parents to their first child, Stone. In an amazing turn of events, Angie was diagnosed with MS six weeks after Stone's birth. Together, they forge a daily battle against the disease by staying positive. They use their experience to educate and inform the young adult community about the disease by serving as leaders of the 20's-30's Squad for the Arizona Chapter. Jennifer Braddock - Here, Now Jennifer Braddock is 24 years old, and works in the film industry as a camera assistant. Diagnosed with MS at the age of 20, while a junior in film school, Jennifer has always been a fighter. Her passions include filmmaking and cycling.

Linda Littleton, Rachel Hall and Karen Hirshon with instruments in Simple Gifts Here's what people have to say about Simple Gifts: "These three women share a chemistry that infuses their music with energy, integrity, and joy. Theirs is a special gift." --David W. Johnson, Boston Globe "Listening to [Simple Gifts] is like sampling an international buffet ... The number of instruments they pick up in a typical concert makes the group anything but simple. ... [This is] acoustic music of the highest order." --Will Lebzelter, Centre Daily Times "Simple Gifts wowed our audience with a cultural and educational program that was fun, informative, and energetic." --Teresia Bush, Smithsonian Institution	Simple Gifts Saturday March 29 at 8:00 PM Three women plus twelve instruments equals one good time when Simple Gifts takes the stage! This award-winning band performs on an impressive array of instruments, including two violins, concertina, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, recorders, guitar, and piano plus some more unusual instruments like the bowed psaltery, baritone fiddle, banjolin, guitjo, tabla, and doumbek. Simple Gifts presents a wide variety of ethnic folk music, including everything from lively Irish jigs and down-home American reels to hard-driving Klezmer freilachs, haunting Gypsy melodies, and exotic Balkan dance tunes. Throughout their performances, they put their own distinctive stamp on traditional tunes, easily blending styles from diverse cultures. According to the Celtic Classic Festival in Bethlehem, PA, "few musicians can match the warmly personal stage presence Simple Gifts possesses." It is obvious that these women love the music they play, and they know how to share their talents, their enthusiasm, and their sense of humor with the audience. Linda Littleton, Rachel Hall and Karen Hirshon have performed as Simple Gifts since 1995. The group was founded by Littleton in 1989 and has performed throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including appearances at the Smithsonian, Brooklyn Museum of Art, National Governors' Convention, Longwood Gardens, Whitaker Center, Hershey Theatre, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ontario Center for Performing Arts, Clarion Folk College, and dozens of colleges and universities throughout the region. Simple Gifts has opened for Natalie MacMaster, Tom Paxton, John McCutcheon, Robin and Linda Williams, Jay Unger and Molly Mason, and Boys of the Lough. Simple Gifts has recorded six albums. Their newest, "Crossing Borders: Music of Many Lands," was recognized by Indie Acoustic as including "one of the best songs of 2005." Their previous album, "Time and Again," won a bronze star (third place) in the Crossroads Music Awards. Their recordings include traditional music from Romania, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, France, Sweden, Denmark, and America, plus original compositions by each group member. This concert is presented collaboratively by Friends of Old Time Music and Dance (FOOTMAD), and West Virginia State University with financial assistance from the WV Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts, and is also partially supported by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour. Festival seating tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for Senior Citizens, $10 for students, and Children Under age 13 are FREE and can be purchased by calling 342-6522. Advance tickets may be purchased at Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream (225 Capitol Street in Charleston) and Fret 'n Fiddle (809 Pennsylvania Ave in St. Albans). For additional information visit the trio's web site at http://www.simplegiftsmusic.com.