ONEIDA — A song written and composed by a music instructor at the YMCA in Oneida will be turned into a multi-media project this fall, with collaborators from around the world, according to YMCA officials. Matt Beadle wrote and composed "A Better Place" during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. During that year in 2020, local YMCAs were shut down for several months, lost thousands of members and more than $2 million in annual revenue, officials said.
Upwards of 250 staff members were furloughed, they noted. “It was during this difficult time, which also highlighted political division, and uncertainty that our small Central NY Y decided to create a message of hope, especially through the education of young people, to teach understanding and acceptance of differences in others, to build positivity and promote some love,” said Hank Leo, CEO of the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley. The song evolved into a new multi-media project that officials said will debut this fall.
The original song will be performed by national recording artists and local artists, with help from Big Blue North Studios in Utica and seven-time platinum and two-time Grammy nominee Jason Brown, of Atlanta. The song will be accompanied by a making-of documentary, produced by Rick E. Lewis, officials said.
YMCAs in East Jerusalem, Ukraine, Florida, the Philippines and more, across all seven continents, will participate. Hank has also written three age-appropriate children's books to join with the song for .