Amazing

Blogging has opened up a whole new realm of communication and information sharing to me. Not only are blogs great tools for professional resources, project how-to's, and idea-sharing - but they are an incredibly impacting way to share stories and spread messages. I've stumbled across so amazing people, whose stories are both tragic and inspiring. What is perhaps the most amazing part of the blog phenomenon though, is the way people are reaching out and supporting those in need throughout the country and all over the world:

Take the Freeman Family for example. Their daughter was born incredibly premature, and was born 6/23/08 weighing just about 1lb. They have been in the hospital since she was born, and are constantly battling their daughters medical issues. The story is truly amazing - what a brave family and fighter of a baby! You can visit Kayleigh's blog here.

Another amazing couple in Charlotte, NC lost two baby girls. In honor of them, they have launched an annual premature baby onesie drive for the babies of the NICU where their baby was cared for. Talk about turning loss into something amazing. You can visit their blog here and there is all of the information on how to donate. They are half way to their goal, and I'll be mailing an outfit or two to them this weekend. Such great work they are doing, and honoring their daughters' memory.

Another amazing, traumatic and beautiful story is that of Matt, Liz, and Madeline. Matt's wife Liz died the day after she gave birth to their daughter, Madeline, and Matt was left to mourn his wife and raise his daughter alone. This man is a moving writer and photographer, and has received a huge outpour of support from the online community. So much so that he has launched a foundation in honor of Liz to support others who have lost a spouse. You can visit his blog here. I believe his story is also going to be covered in this week's issue of People magazine, so watch out for that.

The online community is truly an amazing thing.

In local fundraising efforts, we received a note from our friends and wedding photographers Steven & Jessica Fox who will be embarking on a mission trip to Zambia in April of this year. A trip of this magnitude is obviously a great expense, more than $6,000 for the two of them. We are happy to do our small part to contribute to their efforts, and encourage you to do the same. You can find out more about Steven and Jessica and their photography by visiting their blogs (look to the right side of your screen to find them). I'm assuming that if they don't have info about their mission trip up yet, they will do soon.

In work related news, Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities is partnering with D&W grocery stores for their D&W Steps Up program. If you live in the Grand Rapids area and shop at D&W, write down these dates: FEBRUARY 15-21 and APRIL 12-18. Shop D&W during those weeks, and give them this code: 95760 at check-out. 2 12% of your purchase total will be donated to Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities. Easy. Hassle-free. Awesome.

As for my personal life. What a week it has been!

It's been busy, and stressful, and tiring. I'm fighting a bug of some description, and like the rest of Michigan I'm completely sick of snow. A shining moment however, was a great success at the YMCA this week. For those of you who don't know, in addition to my full-time development work at GAAH, I work limited part-time for the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids at the Visser branch in Grandville where I coordinate the Arts & Humanities programs. What started almost two years ago with me teaching a handful of flute and voice students at the Y has blossomed into over thirty programs in art, music, photography, dance and languages. We kicked off our Winter 1 session of programs this week with almost 140 participants enrolled in the A&H programs. This is HUGE. I have an amazing staff of instructors, who are as equally passionate about the arts and their impacts on peoples lives as I am, and it is their energy that keeps me at the Y despite everything. As a visual, check out these kids on the first night of classes last night...



































































































































































This weekend I'll be embarking on a variety of crafty projects - I need to unwind and so something artistic! I have two scrapbooks underway - one of which being my wedding one which I have hardly started. I have Valentines cards to make, and will be working on some shower and bachelorette party invites for my good friend Alison's wedding. Also for Alison's wedding - I'll be experimenting with pinatas. Yes, pinatas. There are going to be lots of children at Alison's wedding - and Alison's life is influenced by Hispanic culture in so many ways (family, education, work) that we thought it would be a great idea to have a pinata for them! Here's a photo of the type of thing we're looking at doing... so fun!























I'm also hoping to tackle our upstairs bathroom, and by tackle I mean paint - or at least prep for painting. We'll see how that goes... typing all of these plans are making me realize what a lofty task list I am setting myself!

And before I sign off, some more feedback is required. Erinn recommended awhile ago when I was feeling insecure about the subject matter of my blog, that perhaps having multiple blogs would be a good idea. One for work "stuff," one for hobbies and crafty things, and one for my personal life. While it seemed like a lot of work when she first suggested it, I'm thinking she may be a genius. (Love you Erinn!) My blog posts are a conglomerate of topics, photos, and events - and I think they might be better organized in separate, linked blogs. My only concern is that I may bore my *huge* readership of 14... and have even less interest in my writings! I know there's a lot of you closet blog readers out there though that don't like to publicize that they read my babble... (Meg) ... so we'll see. Whaddaya think?!

Seriously though. This is the end of my post. Happy Weekend to All!

The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.

-- Frederick Buechner

Cook Library Center

Back in the fall, Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities won a Grand Rapids Business Association Rapid Growth award in the Best New Construction category for our new library facility, the Cook Library Center. Today a video on our facility was posted to Rapid Growth's website, and it's a really neat portrait of what we do for the kids in the Grandville Avenue Neighborhood. Check it out:

Kitty Valentine Toys!

Seriously, if anyone knows how to knit and can show me how to make these - that would be amazing. They are so cute!

I found these in Martha Stewart Living magazine, and you can get the instructions at her website. Click on the kitty picture to go to the site.

Article

Can the Arts Survive the Economic Crisis?

January 12th, 2009 by Penelope Burk

I’ve read many articles lately on arts funding during this severe economic downturn. Some are awfully pessimistic; others offer hope. But none have come straight at the issue that is at the heart of all fundraising success, and which is especially important for the survival of the arts in this crisis economy.

It’s case. Even in the best of times, arts organizations have a difficult time articulating a competitive case. The arts are passionate, personal, and intensely human, but the pitch for selling the arts is too often clinical and businesslike, measured as the role of arts organizations in furthering other local businesses like restaurants, dress shops, taxis and hairdressers. I don’t want to get bogged down on the issue of whether anyone actually gets their hair done before going to the theatre these days (or buys a dress, for that matter.) But, doesn’t the arts merit more than an evaluation of their worth based on the surrounding local enterprises they prop up? Can’t the arts exist for their own sake?

I’m especially interested in this because I spent my years at university in the sub-sub basement of the main administrative building on campus. That was where a small but wonderful 240-seat theatre was. That’s where I performed in and directed shows and (god help the audience) where I wrote my first production. For four years, I hardly saw the light of day. After college, I worked for many exciting arts organizations, writing sales and marketing copy that reveled in the wonder that was the arts…that is until it got watered down, reigned in, and stripped of all its passion during the editing process.

I worked in the arts for many years struggling between my natural desire to express what the arts meant to me and the more prevalent view that the arts needed to be measured somehow on a scale of community benefit and profitability. I never was able to persuade those who controlled the end product that my exuberant interpretation would sell. Eventually, I moved on to work in other not-for-profit sectors.

One day, while driving from one meeting to another, I was passing the time by listening to a radio interview. A seasoned broadcaster of the “I’ve-seen-everything-and-you-can’t-surprise-me” variety, was interviewing a medical doctor who had spent his entire career in China, providing medical care in third-world conditions to an overwhelming number of people, for subsistence pay. Once a year, he came home for a month, ostensibly for some rest, but actually to raise money and coerce equipment, drugs and supplies.

The doctor was so articulate, and his story so moving, that he melted the heart of the crusty interviewer. At a break in the conversation, the interviewer admitted, “I am humbled to hear about how you live your life and what you accomplish. You have done so much for so many people and, well, I just work in radio.”

“No, you have it wrong,” the doctor quickly interjected. “My job is to save lives; your job, working here in the arts, is to make those lives worth saving. We are both equally important.”

I had to pull my car over to the side of the road. This was the sentiment that I could not express before. This was the case for the arts.

The case for the arts exists on its own merit. It is not apologetic; it does not take a second place to healthcare or human services or education. The arts is as vital to life as breathing, food, shelter and health. If you work in development in the arts, please give yourself the right to break out, the promise to not compromise, and the inspiration to capture the essence of what the playwright, the composer, the choreographer, the painter and the author are trying to communicate about the human condition.

What the arts can offer now, in a world full of anxiety and trouble, is even more vital.

Engagement & Wedding Photos

We ended up unexpectedly purchasing the digital files of our wedding and engagement photos this past week - something we didn't think we'd have the money to do for a long time. Here are some favorites (I'll be uploading these gradually, so keep checking for updates!):

ENGAGEMENT:

WEDDING:
















Photography by Steven & Jessica Fox.