The Over My Shoulder Foundation (OMSF) is a nonprofit organization that promotes mentorship as a tool for personal growth and social progress.

OMSF was inspired by a song, that was written about Patti  and her commitment to mentoring.  The song is a duet performed by the  Grammy Award–winner and is becoming the national anthem to applaud and encourage mentoring here in the United States and across the globe. That anthem, “Over My Shoulder,” evocatively reminds listeners that without emotional sustenance, without an actively positive influence in their lives, they become lost, and then people suffer as individuals and as a society. OMSF collects stories about those who share their time, wisdom, and expertise, and produces events that celebrate these great acts of mentoring and the events are created, produced by myself, Dawn Carroll and Grammy Nominated Jon Butcher

OMSF co-founder Dawn Carroll and Frederic Gassita ( both Berklee College alumni)   collaborated on a symphonic arrangement of the “Over My Shoulder” song. The arrangement was recorded by the prestigious London Symphony Orchestra at the world famous Air Studios, an opportunity made possible by the generous sponsorship of President Ali Bongo, of Gabon. Longtime friends, Carroll and Gassita recognized this unique opportunity to spread the gospel of mentoring on an international scale.  Together we see that our unique relationship with Berklee College of Music is the place to complete this collaboration.

We feel this  new arrangement of “Over My Shoulder” should premier in Boston during National Mentoring Month in January .   National Mentoring Month started in Boston by Harvard University and the OMSF is also Boston Based and all of us have delightful ties to Berklee.   We see this production as a very exciting opportunity  bridge mentoring efforts world-wide. The hope is that this message will inspire people across the globe to become mentors.   We have created a possible mentor-centric program that we would call Mentorology- the art and science of Mentoring.

Boston has become the “Mentoring Hub” of the USA.  We have a new Mayor ( Marty Walsh)  who is very committed to mentoring, Harvard University and National organization MENTOR Most of the events I have created and  produced have been Boston Based.     My background as a Producer in Los Angeles  and being an award winning designer has provided me a very unique advantage to weave together the worlds of Music – Mentoring and Design- My work expanded this year to include music in an upcoming film being released by Sony Pictures.  A few examples of my productions are:

• Neiman Marcus
• ALEX + ANI
• Liberty Hotel
• Boston Design Week

Mentoring fosters creativity like nothing else, It changes lives, fueling self-confidence and self-expression alike. We are so excited to share the message across Europe and Africa with this incredible collaboration and truly hope you see this as a perfect program for National Mentoring Month.  Please join us in celebrating mentoring world-wide. Only together can we make the world a better place and productions like this one can echo across the universe and send us all on a fascinating mentoring journey.  Programs like this can move us all towards a closer society and can campaign against the threat to our global and societal tragedies.

Here is the video to the ABC World-wide premier of the Over My Shoulder Song that was part of the Jordan Hall- Boston Children’s choir tribute on Dr. Martin Luther King Day.