Fallsington Meeting’s Jonathan Sprout is a Force For Good
Grace. Courage. Community. Hope.
These are just four of the twenty-four short song-films that Jonathan Sprout’s music and film not-for-profit Force For Good has created as a way to unify, inspire and empower people.
A member of Fallsington Friends Meeting, Jonathan has worked for more than 35 years to inspire and educate with his award-winning children’s music. In 2014, having performed more than 6500 concerts, and concerned by current national and global events, he founded Force For Good, an organization devoted to inspiring others to make a positive difference. By creating uplifting music and films that encourage personal and global wellbeing, happiness, and respect for the environment, Force For Good hopes to bring awareness to important social issues facing our planet.
Jonathan started by gathering a team of creative and talented individuals who were also committed to inspiring others to action and to “uplifting the uplifters.” He began working with co-producer Joe Mennonna, orchestrating 24 original music pieces. Their premier music CD, Passions, was released in February 2020. It reached #2 on the ZMR International New Age Music TOP-100 Airplay Chart. Their second CD, Innocence, dropped this past February, is currently among the TOP-15 most played New Age albums on worldwide radio, and reached #4. A third CD is slated for a 2022 release.
Jonathan collaborated with Emmy-winning filmmaker Rodney Whittenberg to create short films to complement each piece of music. These music/film collaborations highlight vital issues for humanity, including sensible gun control, immigration reform, climate change, renewable energy, hunger, homelessness and racial and gender equality.
Ice, a piece about the melting of the polar ice caps and the effects of climate change, accompanied the release of the Passions CD. Other song-films followed; Organic, Exceptional, Mountains, and Harmony to name a few. Force For Good’s latest single, Adirondack, won Honorable Mention at the Top Shorts Film Festival. Force For Good is the recipient of 41 international film awards from film festivals in cities that include Tokyo, Rotterdam, Vancouver, Sydney, Dubai, Vienna, Berlin, Cairo, Milan, Florence, London, and Hollywood.
To spread their message to a wider audience, Force For Good began a monthly virtual screening series as a way to spotlight local nonprofit organizations. “Our first three events have raised more than $10,000 for homeless shelters, a solar energy African charity, and Snipes Farm Summer Camp,” Jonathan reported. It should be noted that the Force For Good team does not receive any payment for organizing and running these events.
Their next event, scheduled for Sunday June 13 from 7-8 pm, will screen their short film Safe and include gun safety activists from States United to Prevent Gun Violence and CeaseFire PA. The event is free, but there is a suggested donation of $10 to States United to Prevent Gun Violence. Once you’ve registered, the Zoom link will be emailed to you before the event. Click here to register.
Jonathan’s lifestyle reflects his beliefs. He lives in Bryn Gweled, an intentional community of 75 homesteads, founded by Quakers in 1940, and located in Southampton, PA. He owns a plug in vehicle, and lives a low-carbon lifestyle. His home’s only utility is electricity, and the solar panels on the roof put more into the grid than he takes out. He heats mostly with a wood stove, fueled by wood that he saws and splits himself. In explaining his reason for his low-carbon lifestyle, Jonathan says, “I believe a simple near-net-zero lifestyle is necessary for our continued existence. It’s our responsibility to keep this planet healthy.”
“We have a motto at Force For Good, ‘Being good is nice. Doing good is better. Uplifting those who do good is best.’” Thanks to Jonathan and the Force For Good team for uplifting us all.
“Let’s join in creating a bold, visionary world that is not driven by fear but inspired by hope”