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Being
part of a Bread & Roses show is like drinking from a
common wellspring – nourishing and life-sustaining for institutionalized
audience members and volunteer performers alike.
In the lead story of this
newsletter, you get a glimpse
into the meaning of our work for children and elders. In
addition to these audience groups, we serve thousands of
individuals ages 18-65: adults living in hospitals; shelters for
the homeless and abused; drug and alcohol rehabilitation
centers; homes for the developmentally disabled; and
correctional facilities.
These men and women, struggling to heal from physical
and emotional trauma, will return to our communities as
independent and productive neighbors. The healing they
experience at a Bread & Roses show lightens their spirits
and gives them hope for that future and the assurance they
are not forgotten.
Most of our volunteer performers are professional adult
musicians who have day jobs to pay the bills. From time to
time they answer the call to bring their talents to an isolated
Bread & Roses audience in a multipurpose room, instead of
a show in a noisy nightclub or a bustling corporate event in
a hotel ballroom. The modest venues and intimate settings
of our shows give artists a chance to relate simply and
genuinely to audiences eager for the healing power of music.
In September, we will honor performers who have
volunteered with Bread & Roses for 10, 20 and even 30
years. The loyalty of these gifted volunteers sets Bread &
Roses apart in the arts community. The opportunity to
inspire an institutionalized audience and to experience that
soul-to-soul encounter that characterizes a typical Bread &
Roses show is as nurturing to the artists as it is to our
audiences. “I receive more than I give” is the unofficial
slogan of our volunteers, as well as Board and staff.
Thanks to all of you – volunteers, donors and friends –
for making it possible.
Cassandra
Flipper |
