Community Outreach Bulletin:
Over the past year we have linked up with some new organizations
that already have been welcoming and experiencing the generosity of our
community outreach volunteers or are interested in having volunteers
from MFGS visit in the future.
Here's a list of these organizations and their contact coordinators.
Please feel free to contact them to find out more about their needs and
programs and how you can volunteer.
In general, contact the medical sites to play for patients, families, and staff. .
The church involvement, so far, has been to provide music
surrounding worship services. (For a brief insight on this, see George
Hesser's wonderful write-up of his experience at the end of this
bulletin.)
Schedules and sites are to be arranged with the coordinators. You
will find them welcoming and flexible in trying to work with the
constraints of your schedules to make this as rewarding and convenient
as possible.
We certainly encourage everyone to consider this worthwhile activity and to participate.
Medical facilities we participate with are:
Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit
This site is coordinated by:
Kristine Frias, Music Therapist
(313) 966 5029 Email: Friask@Karmanos.org <mailto:Friask@Karmanos.org>
Oakwood Healthcare System Arts in Healthcare program
This program is coordinated by:
Lisa Rutledge
Manager, Community Benefit
313.586.5492
313.792.7149 (fax)
Email: Lisa.Rutledge@oakwood.org <mailto:Lisa.Rutledge@oakwood.org>
Local churches we participate with are:
Church of the Holy City in Royal Oak
Unity Chapel in Southgate
These opportunities are coordinated by:
Cheri Miller
Wayne State University
Department of Economics
656 W. Kirby
Room 2074 FAB
Detroit, MI 48202
Work: (313) 577-3346
FAX: (313) 577-9564
Cell: (313) 492-7426
E-mail: cmiller@wayne.edu <mailto:cmiller@wayne.edu>
If you are still undecided as to if this is something you want to
do, please read this note from George Hesser. It is a perfect summary
of why this is a worthwhile and rewarding experience to seriously
consider.
Re: Community Outreach by George Hesser
I had the pleasure this past Sunday (Father's Day) to play during
the worship service at the Church of the Holy City in Royal Oak. What a
pleasure it was, too. Not only did I get to share my guitar music, but
also I met several very kind, energetic and interesting people in the
process. This was my first experience playing during a church service,
and I can honestly say that I hope it is not my last. Reverend Renee
Machiniak, the church's young pastor, made me so comfortable and
welcome, and, as she said during the service, she felt like she had
known me for years. It was a wonderful experience.
The Church of the Holy City is a new church with a small, but
growing community. The church leaders, along with Rev. Renee, believe
that music is a special part of their worship service. They hold their
services in the Royal Oak Women's Society building on 4th Street in
Royal Oak. It is a beautiful little worship area, and the acoustics are
pretty good. I played for about 15 minutes prior to the start of the
service, while folks filtered in, and set the mood with meditational
pieces. I played two pieces during the service, and then played for an
hour downstairs in the community room while everyone enjoyed coffee,
snacks and each other's company.
There were approximately 50 people at the service, and each and
everyone made a point to thank me. Many took the time to share their
love of guitar music and pass along some anecdote about when they
played guitar as a kid. The Church is thinking about hosting a fund
raising event in the early Fall for one of its members. They would like
to see if a few MFGS members would be willing to donate their time and
talent. It was great experience for me, so I plan on helping out.
The Church also has a few Sunday services in the future where
they would greatly appreciate the playing of other guest
"fingerstylists", so, if you're interested and have questions, please
don't hesitate to contact me.
Oh! One more thing: this is a great way to spread the word about
our concert series. There were several folks that seemed really excited
about attending, so this is an easy and fun way to build community
support for our concerts!
