Hi everyone,
*****Alto Sectional Tomorrow night: 6:45-7:25PM. Alto 2s will be in the regular rehearsal space, and Alto 1s will be in the choir room in the building across from our regular rehearsal space.
Fall e-news: The Fall e-news with concert and donation information is scheduled to go out tomorrow. Please forward to your family and friends so we can fill the venue!
Thank you to everyone for a wonderful retreat yesterday! We worked through a lot of music, had a wonderful lunch together, presented our annual All-Hands Meeting, and had a great rehearsal with the singers from Sisters’ Voices! For those who were unable to attend, we missed you. Special thanks to Laura for planning a well-orchestrated day of music making, to Deb for shepherding us through our repertoire, to Leandra for preparing her singers for our joint performance, to the singers of Sisters’ Voices for joining our rehearsal, to Kinley for making all of the arrangements for the venue and to Jackie for sponsoring our use of Chapel in the Pines, to Wendy for organizing the potluck lunch, to Sarah for presenting the Fund Development summary, to Diane for bringing sample pecans to share, to Karla for providing all of the financials and updating our webpage with the upcoming fundraising efforts and events, to Trisha for taking pictures for our social media, and to all of you for the wonderful meal and the beautiful day. My apologies if I forgot anyone. Know that I am grateful to each and every one of you and feel so privileged to be part of this group.
At the All-Hands Meeting, we
· reviewed the requirements for Concert Dress,
· got a sneak peek of the new WVC scarves (thank you, Susan, Diane, and Darcy) that will be available for purchase in December ($12/scarf; additional donations appreciated),
· introduced our in-reach program
· Reviewed Fund Development for the season – see attached summary
· Discussed Community Outreach Choice for the Semester – delayed vote until tomorrow night’s rehearsal. The choices are listed below. Ballots will be placed on each chair. Please vote for your choice. Ballots will be collected and tallied. We will announce the choice at rehearsal.
Community Outreach for Winter Concert: Each semester, WVC offers a donation to a local non-profit organization that aligns with our values and with the repertoire that we are singing. In addition to supporting Sister’s Voices, the membership will vote at rehearsal tomorrow night (by ballot) for one of the following organizations, selected from those submitted by members:
· Arise Collective in Raleigh, whose mission is “To equip women with the tools and support they need to heal, grow, and thrive, both in prison and in the communities to which they return.” Former WVC member Jennifer Jackson (S2) is the CEO, and Anne Menkens (A1) writes grants for them.
· Compass Center in Chapel Hill, whose “prevention, crisis, and stability services and programs address intimate partner violence, promote long-term stability, and support gender equity in our community.” WVC has held a fundraising summer season concert for the Compass Center before.
· StepUp Durham, whose mission is “empower job seekers in the Durham community who face challenges to employment by providing them opportunity and access to essential resources and holistic support to enhance lives and build sustainable employment, thereby fostering personal and community growth.” Pauline Robinson (A1) is a longtime volunteer and current volunteer coordinator.
Upcoming Fundraisers: Fundraising efforts for this season are listed below:
· Sustaining Donor Program: Monthly, quarterly, or annual donation to WVC
· Pecan Sales: Order deadlines will be November 3 (Delivery November 10) and December 1 (Delivery December 8). I have included the Friends and Family Order Form and the Fillable Consolidated Order Form for your convenience. The order forms are attached to this email. If you have any questions, please reach out to Diane Wold (S2).
· T-shirts and Swag sale: Sale will open on November 15th (Order deadline – December 1 for Jan 5th delivery)
· Table Sales: Holiday Market – December 1st and Spring Cleaning – March 2
· Program Ads: Sell ads and tributes for our concert programs.
Volunteers: Thank you, Kelly Steffens (Marley’s Mom), for volunteering to help Trisha with our social media needs. We appreciate you!
Shout-out: This week, the shout-out goes to Pauline Robinson. Pauline offered to thin out her bulbs from her yard and offer them for sale as an impromptu fundraiser for WVC. The bulb sale raised $199.48 for WVC! Thank you, Pauline, and thanks to everyone who purchased the bulbs. You will be delighted to see the beautiful flowers when they bloom this coming Spring.
Zoom: If you need to attend rehearsal via Zoom, please remember to notify Laura, your section leader and membership liaison. You can join the Zoom Rehearsals here. Meeting ID: 858 3293 4624; Password: 121074.
See you all tomorrow night!
Janet