Bread And Roses

Longtime Bread & Roses supporter and performer Huey Lewis played a great game of golf during the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Celebrity Challenge and won $10,000 for Bread & Roses! Huey and his golf partner Jake Owens "rolled in an arching 40-footer on the 18th green on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 to win a 12-man 'chip-off and earned $20,000 for two charities of choice in the biggest moment of the five-hole celebrity tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links" according to the Monterey Herald.

From left: Charles Kelley, Jake Owen, Huey Lewis and Ray Romano sing "America, the Beautiful" after finishing the $100,000 celebrity charity shoot-out golf match at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Wed, Feb. 6, 2013. (LiPo Ching/Mercury News Staff)

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The Second Annual Bread & Roses Holiday Chorus at The Redwoods (Photo by Lisa Starbird)

It was truly a heart-warming and collaborative experience to see audiences singing along with the Bread & Roses Holiday Chorus at four different facilities: The Blind & Vision Impaired of Marin, The Redwoods in Mill Valley, Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco and New Bridge Foundation in Berkeley.  A diverse group of singers came together including children from Young Performers International (who sang the Hannukah Song in several languages), professional vocalists like Debbie Cucalon and Linda Kosut, Bread & Roses donors, hosts and other volunteers as well as members of the Unity of Marin Choir. The chorus, conducted by Carolyn Gauthier (pictured above) and Marian Hubler, was accompanied with great spirit by Alan Thomas on piano.   Marian Hubler, Bread & Roses Producer

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When Jimmy Dillon took the stage to accept his Milley Award for Achievement in the Musical Arts on Sunday evening Oct. 21 at the Mill Valley Community Center, he said he felt most comfortable with guitar in hand.  He reminded everyone that "the meaning of life is to find your gift" and "the purpose of life is to give it away."  He then sang one of his inspiring original ballads Hold On To Your Dreams ...and don't you let them go.

Bread & Roses supporter Michael Narada Walden was there cheering Jimmy on along with emcee Leah Garchik who skillfully wove all the stories of the award winners into a seamless whole.  Former Milley Award winner Mark Fishkin of the Mill Valley Film Festival was also there to congratulate Jimmy and to honor Zoe Elton for her Milley Award for Achievement in the Performing Arts.

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It was a thrill for us to see a full-page ad from the Marin Community Foundation (MCF) in both San Francisco Magazine and Marin Magazine featuring Bread & Roses.  Central to the ad is this inspiring quote from Bread & Roses supporter and former board chair Susan Gilardi:

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We are thrilled to announce Take Heart  the exciting and eclectic 2012 Concert to Benefit Bread & Roses. The show will be held on March 22 at the historic Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, and will feature an extraordinary lineup of some of the Bay Area’s hottest local artists, all of whom inspire our audiences year-round.

The concert will be big, bold and brilliant – ranging from blues and jazz to pop and Broadway show tunes. Some of our featured artists include:

Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s. Mitch is described as “one of the top boogie piano men around” by Dan Aquilante of the New York Post. Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s will fill the room with their jumpin’ and jivin’, pumpin’ and poundin’, New Orleans rhythm and blues “rock-a-boogie” magic.

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of Bread & Roses founder, Mimi Fariña. Yet, her legacy lives on through the work that Bread & Roses accomplishes every day by bringing quality live music to individuals who are isolated and institutionalized. This work is made possible through the generosity of our volunteers and donors. And right now, there has never been a more exciting time to support our work...

• Because you have witnessed the power of live music to transform and and inspire in profound and unexpected ways.
• Because we urgently need your help to continue our important work.
• Because 100% of the board have contributed to a challenge grant to thank you for your generosity - thereby doubling the impact of your gift.
• And because right now, a gift of any size will make you a founding member of our new FOUNDER'S CIRCLE - established in honor of our founder, Mimi Fariña.

Thirty-seven years ago Mimi Fariña founded Bread & Roses with the compassionate desire to offer hope and joy to isolated audiences through the healing power of live music. Since then, Bread & Roses has grown considerably, presenting nearly 600 shows ayear to nearly 27,000 individuals being cared for in 120 Bay Area facilities.

These are some examples of how our audience members have responded to Bread & Roses shows:

"The music makes me want to live longer," said an elderly woman living apart from family and friends in a convalescent home for low-income residents.

"Today became the best day of my life," said a teen at a juvenile hall after a Bread & Roses performer invited her to the stage to sing.

"Please know that your organization will be remembered the duration of my lifetime for the gift of hope you have given me through music and song," said Don, a man recovering from addiction.

Join the Founder's Circle today and ensure that Mimi's caring legacy lives on. In doing so, you will inspire hope, change a life, and bring comfort to those who need it most.

Video courtesy of Michael Mc Connell at Media Local Studios.

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Lisa Bautista (left) with Joyce DeWitt, actress from Three's Company, and Kris Koskela, RRazz Room office manager, at the venue’s 3rd annual “RRAZZiversary” earlier this year.

We are grateful that The RRazz Room’s first annual “Season of Giving” in December will benefit Bread & Roses.  Throughout the month, San Francisco’s Premier Nightclub is presenting many performers who support Bread & Roses including:  Maria Muldaur (Dec. 7) and Pete Escovedo & Family (Dec. 9-11).  Donations will be requested for Bread & Roses at each concert from Dec. 1-30, 2011. 

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Is it Opera??

More than a few of you have called to ask this about our Fall Benefit Concert featuring mezzo soprano Frederica von Stade.

So, is it opera?

Not according to Frederica. There will be operatic elements, but Frederica's repertoire will more closely resemble an intimate classical recital. "It will be My Life in Song," she said when we posed the question to her. "I will be singing excerpts from Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, an aria from Werther, and a special song by John Musto titled, 'Litany,' which is based on Langston Hughes' poem 'Shadow of the Blues.' "

When asked why she chose to lend her talents in support of Bread & Roses, Frederica warmly responded by saying:

"People who are suffering, who are down and out, who are living in poverty, don't know that they are loved. Bread & Roses is about healing and helping them. We remind them that they are God's special creatures, even when the world tells them they're not."

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Micah Press and his jazz combo at the San Rafael farmer's market.

Fall is a time when many nonprofits step up their fundraising efforts in order to meet end-of-year goals. This fall, Bread & Roses was delighted to be on the receiving end of the generosity of thirteen-year-old Micah Press, who took our mission to the streets with the help of his school’s jazz combo.

We first met Micah a few months ago when he set out to raise money in support of our organization. Being a musician himself, he said that of all the Marin nonprofits he could support, he felt most aligned with the mission and impact of Bread & Roses. In order to raise money, Micah played with his jazz combo at the San Rafael farmers market and requested that for his bar mitzvah, his guests make contributions to Bread & Roses in lieu of gifts.

In an ironic turn of events, we were recently able to give back to Micah when he spent time at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital for a neck problem. Singer/songwriter Francesca Lee (who is also a Bread & Roses producer) performed a bedside concert for Micah, reminding him that through his generosity, he had become a cherished member of the Bread & Roses extended family.

Recently, Micah was discharged from the hospital, and one of the first things he did was to deliver his donation. Amazingly, he exceeded his goal of raising $1,800, a number he chose because in Judaism, the number 18 is an expression of life. Micah says that he will continue to raise money for Bread & Roses with the help of his jazz trio once he is fully recovered. In the meantime, we will use his generous gift to sponsor shows for kids in other pediatric hospitals throughout the Bay Area.

Thank you Micah. A whole lot of hope, healing and joy will soon be shared thanks to your generosity.

By Liz Donaldson

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Singer-songwriter/guitarist Audrey Auld has generously offered to donate all digital sales of  her "Bread and Roses" song released on her new CD Come Find Me.    She wrote the song in 2006 when she went into San Quentin to do a workshop for Bread & Roses.  Since she was not allowed to bring in more than her guitar or give anything to the inmates when she went in, her song was her gift.

The song is now available for downloads through itunes and is included in Audrey's recent songbook "Write Out Loud."   For more info, visit Audrey at www.recklessrecords.com.

Originally from Tasmania, Audrey met her husband while he was surfing on a beach in Australia. Since he was from Bolinas, he convinced her to move to the Bay Area where she volunteered for Bread & Roses. After they got married, they moved to Nashville where Audrey is currently based.  Since she tours for most of the year, we are thrilled that Audrey will be back to do some additional concerts for Bread & Roses when she is in the area this fall. 

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