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By Suzie Harrison, The Laguna Beach Independent
Powerful riffs resound through a pedestrian walkway off Forest Avenue that leads to a cobblestone alley. Fingers that dance along a guitar's neck and a voice that betrays the performer's passion accompany the aural alchemy.

By Judy Lesko

In the spirit of the season, some might choose to make a difference in their community by volunteering at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. For two Southland artists, giving back meant sharing their unique music and message to raise awareness for the plight of the homeless. And for both their gifts of charity began, long before this year’s holiday celebrations.

By Melanie Roberts, lariatnews.com
As a part-time instructor at Saddleback College for 12 years, Scott Hays works to help students in his English and journalism classes everyday, but his background as a journalist in the field has brought him to find projects outside of teaching.

By Jim Larkins, Orange Coast Magazine
Two of O.C.’s most talented musicians are homeless and their work can be found on “Shelter Me,” a CD just issued by Laguna Beach-based Weed Patch Productions. The project helps fund Friendship Shelter, one of the city’s havens for the homeless. We asked the CD’s creator, health-and-fitness author Scott Hays, about his unusual project.

By Judy Lesko, Coastline Pilot
For most of us, home is as much a state of mind as a physical place. Poignant lyrics for the title song from the music-documentary, "Home Again," co-written by Laguna Beach residents Scott Hays and Jason Feddy, help drive the point home.

By Judy Lesko, Laguna Beach Independent
Laguna Beach resident Scott Hays envisioned a company dedicated to the philosophy that all people have a story to share. Now, the story-telling skills he nurtured have blossomed into a marketing campaign tapped by hard-pressed non-profit groups around the county and nation to make a difference in the lives of those in need.

By Jim Larkins, OC Weekly
If you want to see David Holland droning out a live performance of his song "Rebel Without a Dime," it'll only cost you about enough to fend off his next hunger pangs. Such was not always the case for the versatile, homeless musician, who plays guitar, piano, drums and bass with equal intensity and skill. In his heyday, Holland opened for Tom Waits at Huntington Beach's famed Golden Bear and played alongside Sonny Terry, the late, blind, blues-

By Cindy Hale, Laguna Beach Magazine
“It takes a village to save a life.” That’s the philosophy dished out by Randy Kraft, director of development for Friendship Shelter, the only comprehensive, year-round shelter open to the estimated 35,000 homeless of Orange County. Operating out of a residential hotel originally erected in 1938, the crisply renovated building sits near the beachfront of Laguna and serves approximately 220 homeless adults annually. Since its inception 20 years a