Our Heart of Marin Award nominees for 2011: (left to right) Peter Merts, Tucky Pogue and Dick Miner.
On Thursday, January 5, 2012, at the 19th Annual Heart of Marin Awards in San Rafael, Bread & Roses board and staff honored three of our Marin volunteers: Peter Merts of San Rafael, Dick Miner of San Anselmo and Tucky Pogue from Ross. Peter and Dick were nominated as "Volunteer of the Year" and Tucky, for her "Excellence in Board Leadership."
And Bring Good Cheer To Our Isolated Audiences in December!
Bread & Roses is sponsoring a holiday sing-along for several of our facility audiences with a chorus of volunteer singers co-led by singers Claudia Russell and Marian Hubler.
Anyone who enjoys singing holiday songs is welcome to participate. Each program will be approximately 45 minutes to an hour. If you interested in being part of the group, you can do one show or all, which will be held in the East Bay, San Francisco and Marin.
Miss Kitty at Papermill Creek Children's Center, 10/17/2011. Video courtesy of Sharon Glenn.
Highly revered children's performer Miss Kitty shows the way to connect with Bread & Roses' younger audiences. At a recent concert for children at Papermill Creek pre-school at Pt. Reyes Station, she was a big hit with over twenty children many of whom were from the Head Start program in West Marin.
A professional entertainer for three decades, Miss Kitty (aka Judy Nee) has been a volunteer performer for Bread & Roses for 13 years. Judy is a real master of her craft knowing exactly how to vary the tempo of her songs for children and to keep her programs interactive. She spoke recently about the secret to her success in connecting with children everywhere:
"I look them in the eyes, find out their names, and respond to them as individuals."
About 1/3 of Bread & Roses current program service is dedicated to concerts for children and youth throughout the Bay Area. Many of our volunteer entertainers for children are like Miss Kitty: performers who sang in rock and roll bands before doing music for children.
Judy has a number of recordings for children including My Miss Kitty: Sweet & Simple - Most Requested Toddler Sing Along Songs and Just Because You're You which was produced by the late Jim Rothermel, another beloved Bread & Roses performer.
Many of our performers for both institutional and benefit concerts for Bread & Roses have recordings for children including Maria Muldaur's Barnyard Dance: Jug Band Music for Kids and Animal Crackers in My Soup. Keb Mo's Big Wide Grin features songs from his own childhood along with some originals.
We are always on the lookout for more quality performers to do concerts for our youngest audiences. Please let us know if you might be able to help in this way - you can contact us by email at info@breadandroses.org or you can fill out an application on our volunteer page.
If you are already a Bread & Roses volunteer performer, please leave a comment below and share your experiences.
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.
Michael Pritchard as Emcee at Bread & Roses Volunteer Celebration on August 28, 2011
For the past several years, Michael Pritchard has been Bread & Roses ambassador-at-large. As a comedian and motivational speaker, he helps us convey the heart of our work and inspires all to continue Mimi Farina's legacy of providing hope and healing through live music and the performing arts to those isolated in institutions who need it most. As emcee at our recent volunteer celebration at the Freight & Salvage, Michael reminded us that it is generosity of spirit that connects us and makes us happy.
Appearing in the new independent documentary The Happy Movie, Michael Pritchardhelps us understand how to measure happiness. Those of us who live in the Bay Area can see the film Friday September 30 & Saturday October 1 at 7 pm at The Rafael Film Center in San Rafael and afterwards hear Michael in a Q & A with Associate Producer Omid Heidari. The Happy Movie will be shown at The Rafael for six days only (through Oct. 5) so don't miss the opportunity to see it. It will also be screened on Monday Oct. 24 at 5:30 pm in Palo Alto as part of the United Nations Association Film Festival co-sponsored by the Stanford Film Society and the UNA Mid-Peninsula Chapter.
Budding jazz chanteuse Lucy Krakow is a featured “Whiz Kid” on this week’s Larkspur Corte Madera Patch. While at Redwood High School, Lucy was a volunteer performer for Bread & Roses who did concerts for three different facility audiences. An inventive jazz singer with her own distinctive style, Lucy is also a talented singer-songwriter as well as guitarist.
For her Bread & Roses shows, she brought her talents as a creative collaborator to the forefront by recruiting three musicians to perform with her. At Marin Services for Women (MSW) she performed original songs she co-wrote with Katie Hamilton who is now at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. At Aldersly in San Rafael, a residential community for seniors, she played jazz standards with saxophone player Jake Botts. At Our Common Ground, a rehab for teens in Redwood City, she performed in a charming and inspirational duet with her brother Roger.
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.
Bread & Roses has served Whistlestop in San Rafael for over five years, bringing concerts to seniors at their special lunchtime events. Their monthly newsletter, the Whistlestop Express, is known as the leading information resource for Marin's active aging movement. The Feb. 2011 issue featured an article by Bread & Roses Executive Director Cassandra Flipper, "Bread & Roses Connects Heart to Heart Through Music."
Bread & Roses recently presented The Christmas Jug Band at Whistlestop
The JAM! Bread & Roses celebrates its volunteers at the annual recognition event.
On a recent sunny Sunday in August we gathered at the home of board member Toby Nady. Over 350 different individual performers and groups volunteer for Bread & Roses at any given time. Once a year we come together to honor everyone's contributions of time and talent throughout the year. Over 600 programs of live music and the performing arts are presented on a continuing basis to those who are isolated. Thanks to all who volunteer!
