April 17, 2026 • 30 mins
In this episode of iHeartCommunities as we celebrate the Ninth Annual Great Community Give, happening April 22, from sunrise to sunset. This community-wide day of giving makes it easier than ever to support the nonprofits and causes that strengthen the Valley. Whether you give online or donate directly to your favorite organization, every contribution fuels meaningful change.In this episode, we sit down with leaders from several participating nonprofits to explore how the Great Community Give uplifts their missions and the people they serve. Our guests include:
- Lauren Jefferson — The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County
- Angela Carter – The Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham
- Everett Brubaker – Renew Rocktown
- Les Helmuth – Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to iHeart Communities. I'm Chris Carmichael. Today we're spotlighting
the Great Community Give. It's a powerful day of generosity
that brings Harrisonburg and Rockingham County together to support local
nonprofits making a real impact. And we're going to hear
from community leaders about how giving local strengthens lives, neighborhoods,
and the arts. And our guests today are Lauren Jefferson
(00:21):
with the Community Foundation for Harrisenburg and Rockingham County. Angela
Carter is the executive director of the Ark of Harrisenburg
and Rockingham. Everett Brubaker is the executive director of Renewed
rock Town, and Les Helmuth the executive director of Snandoah
Valley Bok Festival. Lauren, we're less than a week away
now from the Great Community Give. It's coming up this Wednesday,
(00:42):
kicks off as soon as the sun starts to rise.
Got a ton of nonprofits. I think one hundred and
fifty eight organizations are involved this year, and a lofty goal.
We're going to try to raise two point five million
dollars if I remember correctly. A lot to get ready
for it, but and a lot to be excited about.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, we're very excited. The total so far is nobody
can see this yet, but I'm just spreading the word here.
We're up to one hundred and ninety thousand, so well
on our way to that goal. And we've had lots
of good messaging and seen lots of social media out
there with organizations spreading the word about what they're fundraising
(01:18):
for and their goals and perhaps perhaps the Power Hour
that they're going to compete for on April twenty second,
this upcoming Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
So I mentioned one hundred and fifty eight organizations are involved.
We're going to speak with three of those organizations here
in just a moment. How can we help these organizations
if we find it in our heart and our wallet
to be able to give.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
So you can go to our website Great Community gift
dot org and search for a particular organization that you're
perhaps passionate about, or if you want to explore, I
should say, and if you want to explore, we encourage
you to give to an organization that you know about,
but maybe one that you haven't heard of before. You
can go to the search are at the top of
that homepage and look for causes. You can look for
(02:04):
organizations you can type in a keyword and you can
look around browse that site and see one hundred and
fifty eight organizations and get an idea of what they're
doing in our community and perhaps you know, pick one
or two or ten that you'd like to give to.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
We're talking with Lauren Jefferson. She's with the Community Foundation
for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. They organize our annual Great
Community Give. The ninth annual Great Community Give is coming
up this Wednesday, that is April twenty second, from sunrise
to sunset. Lauren, what's one thing that you would like
our listeners to know about the Community Foundation that maybe
(02:39):
isn't common knowledge about what you do.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So we have several one hundred generous donors who are
fundholders here and their gifts go out to the community,
but their gifts also help us provide this programming. The
Great Community Give is a program that we fund here
and we purchase a subscription and we provide administrative support.
(03:05):
So this is something that we do. It's one of
our high profile events and we love it. It takes
a lot of time and energy, but it's really one
of the ways that we can support all the wonderful
organizations and the people who are really working to make
this value better. So that's courtesy of the people who
give through us, and their support is really important to
(03:26):
this community wide event. It's really the foundation for this.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So we mentioned that the Great Community Give is coming
up on Wednesday, but we don't have to wait till
Wednesday to make co donation.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Early giving is underway, it is.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
And most of our giving happens through the website, but
you are welcome. If you're not comfortable doing that, or
you just prefer to give a cash or check, you
can contact the organization and give to them directly. So
the best thing to do would be to make a
phone call or send an email and check and see
what a good time would be to drop that off
(04:00):
in house. We don't handle those here in our office.
We just can't can't do that. We want you to
take them straight to the organizations. But there is an
early giving option, and that's cash or check or online
through the website, and that's happening yes now through actually
five point fifty nine am on April twenty second, and
(04:21):
then at six am we start the big day with
the prizes offered for nonprofits and we can lan on
an hourly basis and we.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Can find out more information at Great Community Give dot org.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yes, and so we encourage you to go visit that website.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
You've got a secure portal to make your credit card
donation there if you'd like.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That's one benefit of using this platform as it is
safe and secure to give that way and you get
a receipt and that's all automated. Our nonprofit folks don't
have to spend time doing that.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
The Great Community to Give for Harrisonburg and Rockham County
is coming up on Wednesday, April twenty second. Great Community
Give dot org is the website. You can go there
right now. Early Giving us underway and then the big
event happens Wednesday at starting at six am. One of
the organizations, one of the one hundred and fifty eight
that are participating this year, is the Ark of Harrisonburg
(05:10):
and Rockingham and Angela Carter is the executive director with
the Ark of Harrisonburg and Rockingham.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Angela, good morning, good morning, Thank you so much for
featuring us.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Absolutely For those who aren't familiar, can you briefly explain
the mission of the Ark of Harrisonburg and Rockingham and
who you serve in our community.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Absolutely.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
We started many years back with a group of parent advocates.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
We support, empower.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
And advocate for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities along
with their family supports. We believe that we support not
only the individuals, but the full family units.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
So what does participating in the great community give mean
for the ARK and why is this event so important
in the work that you do well.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
Our programming is imperative to those that we serve. I mean,
if you can imagine a life to were inclusion and
learning about our community is not easy.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
What many do not know about the.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Arc of HR is that we have a full transportation
program vehicles that transport our participants, some of them that
are in wheelchairs use walkers that wouldn't have readily available transportation.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
All around our community.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
It is imperative to receive funds as gas prices continue.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
It is in need.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
We need to make sure that those with disabilities have
the same rights and access to the community as everyone else,
regardless of their income, and most of those that we
serve our low income.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
The community has supported you through the years.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Can you give me a success story of how the
community support has benefited the ARC.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
I think last night was a great example. We got
home around midnight, a huge group of us joined at
the Atlantic Union Bank Center at JMU where sororities and
fraternities put together. Jamie Greek saying that benefited the ARC.
It is not just about the funds. It is the
(07:09):
fact that our participants are able to see a full
community get together and celebrate them and they felt like superstars.
I cannot tell you what that means day in and
day out, that we are an organization we do not
see the disability. We see all the abilities, and in fact,
most people are thinking that those that we serve are
(07:30):
learning from us. It is the exact opposite. Anyone that
spends the day here will see that it's us that
learn from our participants. The gratitude of things that so
many of us take for granted, and funds from these
fundraisers and donors throughout the area make that all possible.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
It's life changing.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
This morning here on iHeart Communities, we're talking about the
great community give. Angela Carter's the executive director of the
Ark of Harrisenburg and Rockingham, one of the one hundred
and fifty eight nonprofits participating this year, Angela, We're blessed
here in the Shenandoah Valley to have so many great
nonprofits that are helping our community. What sets the ARC
apart from other organizations that are helping the same participants.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
Well, I mean, I think I'd like to reword it
in a way of how are we doing our part
to help because anyone human needs multiple things. You know,
we provide a lot of services here and we're glad
to be a part of the network that serves those
with disabilities through.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
At the area.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
But we believe in, you know, the whole person. We
provide everything from community engagement, which means that our vehicles
and our participants are actually out in the community every
single day volunteering at sites of other nonprofits. We create
the dog biscuits at SPCA, we organize clothes at thrift stores,
(08:56):
We deliver meals on wheels, we deliver meals through the
backpack program. So our participants are giving back to the community,
and we're proud to be a part of the cycle
of all of these areas that those with disabilities need assistance.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
With, Angela, how will the money that's raised this year
for the ARC help grow or adapt to emerging needs
and really.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Will support our transportation program.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
It is the most costly part of our programming, and
as you know, is costs rise in our economy, it
makes it harder to do so. When you're running a
fleet of twenty vehicles, the vehicle repair cost is high,
but it is essential. It is not a luxury. It
is the difference between individuals having access to the community
(09:44):
and not being isolated, and families being able to continue
to work versus not when the parents of those that
we serve had children. As many of us, we do
not imagine that our children will be thirty, forty, fifty
years old and still be at home. What we do
is a requirement, and as with most nonprofits, you don't
(10:07):
fully see the need until you need the resource.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
But I can guarantee you that someone.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
That you know is affected in a positive way by
what we do here at the ARC. We even serve
over five hundred families with food with food and security
programming throughout the area we give back. I would also
love to add that there is a piece of things
that we do here that people aren't even aware of,
(10:34):
which is legislation and advocacy. So we have our first
ever self advocacy program, which includes a full booklet accessible
to anyone in the community that wants to understand how
to advocate for themselves, and we go to Capitol Hill,
the House of Delegates with our participants so that they
(10:56):
can self advocate. I executive director, and I'm going to say,
I think that what we have here is a very magical,
needed place and the community support seems to point in
a direction that people also believe in that too.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Angela Carter is executive director with the Ark of Harrisenberg
and Rockingham. I'm sure our listeners right now are feeling
the need to help out if they can't afford to help,
but they still want to participate in a way. Is
there a volunteer opportunity? Are there ways that they can
support the ARC?
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Absolutely?
Speaker 5 (11:33):
Since I joined two years ago, we have developed a
full volunteer program.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
We thrive off of it.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
We have around ten volunteers a day depending on what
we do.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
Please visit our website, fill out the.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
Forum, send an email to Engagement an hr art dot
org and we will have something.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
For you to help.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
We believe that service is the ultimate piece of giving,
beyond being a donor, and we welcome you for any talent,
whether you want to teach us how to make a quilt,
whether you want to help us in the office, or
we have a bit of everything.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
So thank you so much for asking.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
And looking ahead. What are your hopes and goals for
the arc end the near future.
Speaker 5 (12:18):
That we continue to thrive. We've grown in the last
three years. We've gone from thirty eight participants to now
around seventy eight, and there's a need for many, many,
many more. We just want to continue bettering our services
and reaching out to more in the community, even if
they aren't directly receiving our community engagement and in home services.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
We're here to serve.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
We know what it's like to not belong, to feel different,
to have to fight for inclusion, and we want to
be that home for people when they need resources and
want to be a part of this community.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Great Community Give is Wednesday, April twenty second. We're just
a few days away now. It's a summrise to sunset
day of giving. You can give now though early giving
us underway. Just go to Great Community Give dot org.
We have one hundred and fifty eight nonprofits participating this year,
including renew Rock Town, Everett, Brubakers, the executive director, and Everett,
we welcome you into iHeart Communities and get us behind
(13:18):
the scenes.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Tell us a little bit about what you do in Harrisonburg.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
Happy to Chris, Thanks so much for having myself and
other organizations on to share our stories. Renew Rocktown is
based here in Harrisonburg, serve the city, in the county
really with a mission to foster resilient communities and a
healthy planet. We're a small environmental nonprofit with a big
mission and a big vision to connect and bring people together,
(13:43):
particularly to address the challenges in our communities, to make
our communities stronger in places where people thrive. So we're
a ten year old organization that historically was volunteer run,
a volunteer run alliance, and we're in the stage of
growth and transformation to build the capacity we need to
address our issues, our environmental issues here in our community.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
So why does the great community give such an important
opportunity for renew Rock Town.
Speaker 7 (14:08):
It's two fold.
Speaker 6 (14:09):
It's a chance for us to share the work we've
been doing and the vision that we have for our community,
and then to connect with other organizations that do that.
I think there's a lot of benefit in highlighting and
celebrating other organizations because we have specific areas of focus,
but there's also places where our missions co mingle.
Speaker 7 (14:28):
It's a chance for the community to see that too.
Speaker 6 (14:30):
I think where how we all participate in the fabric
of this community to make it stronger and to make
it places where people thrive, I believe is at the heart.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
Of what many of our organs are doing.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
So renew Rocktown often focuses on restoration, whether that's people, property,
or neighborhoods. Can you share a story that reflects that
kind of transformation.
Speaker 6 (14:50):
Yeah, So we see ourselves as a connector and facilitator
for environmental work and particularly to bring in organizations and
people that may not see themselves as invin dentalists or
doing climate advocacy.
Speaker 7 (15:02):
So, for example, on.
Speaker 6 (15:04):
Friday, the April twenty four, we're hosting our second annual
Earth Day luncheon. It's a chance to bring together over
one hundred conservationists, students, businesses, nonprofits, folks who work in advocacy,
folks who don't to kind of recognize our shared care
for this place, for this community and this planet. So
(15:25):
we do that kind of work to help people build
connections where they may not have them. Additionally, we're launching
at the end of the month a pilot program working
on making our homes more energy efficient. So we've been
doing this work for several years and we're lucky with
support from the great community give and grants as well
to have the funds to get into homes that need
(15:48):
it to help lower utility bills and make homes more
energy efficient, which does good not just for our environment,
but for the people who are living in them in
our communities as well. Has that work evolved over the
years as a small environmental nonprofit. Early on, that work
was mainly in trying to connect people with existing programs
that are out there, and it's changed right as federal
(16:11):
funding has evolved and changed, as local capacity evolves and.
Speaker 7 (16:15):
Change, Organizations like ours kind of have to be nimble.
Speaker 6 (16:18):
We're lucky though, in this community to be in a
community that wants to invest in its organizations, that cares
about local capacity and local strength and decision making. So
that work for us has grown as we've brought in
other partners. Our energy efficiency work includes Value Program for
Aging Services, the United Way.
Speaker 7 (16:39):
Locally, the Shenando Valley Black Heritage project.
Speaker 8 (16:41):
Right.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
These aren't environmental organizations, but they recognize that doing that
kind of work in a home impacts the health of
the inhabitants of that home. It improves our housing stock,
it lowers bills for families who need more money in
their pocket. And I think as we build that kind
of collaboration and connection and recognition that our missions can
work together, we start building a community where people can
(17:05):
can drive.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
This morning, here on iHeart Communities, we're talking about the
Great Community Give. It's coming up on Wednesday, from six
am until sunset. You've got a whole day to give
and help one hundred and fifty eight nonprofits here in
our community. The goal of this year is to raise
two point five million dollars. Everett bru Baker is the
executive director of renew Rocktown and Effett, you're hoping that
a portion of what's raised this year is going to
(17:28):
benefit your organization so that you can benefit the community.
How does the community's generosity play into helping renew Rocktown
respond to urgent or unexpected needs.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
Well, like I said, if you're in an organization, if
you're in a nonprofit, there's the work you do, and
then there's the work you dream about and have a
vision for. It's the Great Community Give and other opportunities
like that for the community to invest in organizations that
allows us to put some of that dreaming and visioning
into practice. So we're in conversations with the city about
(18:02):
a tree Steward's program. For example, we're scheming up a
fix it festival for the fall where people can bring
their small appliances and clothing and we actually do some
repair work and try to keep some of our materials
and things out of the landfill. These are dreams that
we talk about in Every organization has their own Great
Community Give is a part of making that happen. Helping
(18:23):
an organization to have more capacity, to have the support
and financial support and the connection to the community, just
the awareness that these are organizations doing work in this space,
and that combination allows smaller organizations or organizations of all
sizes to move towards meeting their visions, not just their
(18:44):
kind of tangible immediate mission.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
If you'd like to support renewed Rock Town, you can
go to Great Community Gift Org right now make that
financial support. But the community also may want to go
beyond that. How can they get involved in helping you
with your mission.
Speaker 6 (18:58):
I would encourage folks to connect with us on social media.
We also do a monthly newsletter let the community know
upcoming environmental events. The news we had to highlight recently
of some of the bills that came out of the
General Assembly and how they impact our water, our air,
our transportation and food.
Speaker 7 (19:16):
Such a good way to connect.
Speaker 6 (19:18):
We have our Earth Day luncheon coming up April twenty four.
Speaker 7 (19:22):
RCPs closed for.
Speaker 6 (19:23):
That soon, and we'll also be out in the community
at events, so we encourage you to come see us
and meet us. We've got a really neat team. We're
lucky to have several paid interns this semester too, so
reach out. We'd love to connect with you and your
organization or you as a person.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Everett, looking ahead, what are your hopes for renewed raw
Town and for the community here in the coming year.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
I envisioned a community where people and organizations recognize how
important it is that we take care of this place,
our shared planet. We recently had folks travel around the
moon and take a look back. It's a stark reminder
of the importance of this place that we all share.
(20:10):
We're lucky to be here in the beautiful Shandoa Valley,
and I envision renew Rocktown as an organization that can
help do that facilitating and connecting work.
Speaker 7 (20:22):
Because when you.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
Talk about you know, communities that you can walk and
bike in, when you talk about local food, when you
talk about energy efficient homes, these are not just environmental issues.
Speaker 7 (20:31):
They're not just thinking about carbon emissions. Right.
Speaker 6 (20:35):
It is about helping people thrive and live better lives.
People are safer and healthier when they can walk and
bike in a community.
Speaker 7 (20:41):
Right.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
Our housing is stronger when we make it more energy efficient,
and bills are lower. So this is this is work
that is that is connected and integrated. So I see
a community that's moving that direction and working outside of
their silos, and I see Realdy Rocktown as helping to
do that, connecting and helping strengthen.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
Matt Fabric, you'd like to help out Renew Rocktown in
their mission this year? The Great Community Give is Wednesday,
April twenty second. You can learn more information at Great
Community Give dot org. I'd like bringing Less Hellmuth. He's
the executive director of Shinadoah Valley Bok Festival and Less
I'm going to start off by saying, I don't know
a lot about Bach, so we're going to have to
(21:23):
walk a little slower on this conversation, and you're gonna
have to get me up to speed. I do love
the style of music, but I don't know that I
could pick a Box song out if you played it
for me.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I apologize, Well, let me first start.
Speaker 8 (21:36):
I'll get to Box shortly. But I want to make
a comment about the generosity of this community. First of all,
I've been doing fundraising for a variety of organizations in
this community for almost fifty years, or just slightly over
fifty years, and this is an exceptionally generous community, illustrated
(21:56):
by the great community give but also illustrated by the
leadership that the Community Foundation has given for the last
twenty five years in guiding individuals and organizations to consider
major investments in our community fabric to make it possible
for us to meet the critical needs of our community.
(22:20):
And so we've been blessed to be part of a
community that has not just the Community Foundation, but what
brings what makes this alive, is the donors and individuals
in this community have art for making a difference in
this community.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Now to Bach.
Speaker 8 (22:41):
You don't need to know anything about Bach to enjoy
the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. In fact, our mission is
to cultivate the transformative power of music, starting with Bach
or inspired by Bach, and what he did in the
sixteen hundreds was to inspire other composers, others like him
(23:05):
who like to make music, but also to stir the
heart to enrich their communities wherever they are. So we,
in some respects we start with Bach, but Bach isn't
the only thing we do. If you show up at
any of the noon concerts that we do, which are free,
you will find all manner of composers, both contemporary and
(23:32):
age old folks like Mozart and Chopin and a few
of those other guys that you know for our age
old composers that have been the standard repertoire for classical
musicians for all these years. The other thing we do
is we try to bring in other genres. So on
Tuesday night, June the ninth, the week of the festival,
(23:53):
June eight to fourteen, we are bringing in a band.
And I'm not exactly sure that we've nailed down yet,
but we're bringing a band to Pale Fire Brewing Company
downtown and last year we had Dogwood Tales. They were awesome.
It was a standing room only event, and people are
already asking if we're going to do the same thing.
(24:14):
We will do something very similar to that. Hopefully it's
we'd love to have Dogwood Tales back, and we'll see
if that works out. So starting with both, we do
a whole bunch of other things as well. And a
note Everett mentioned the guys that just came back were
(24:36):
the group that just came back from having navigated around
the moon. It's particularly interesting. Our theme this year is
creative inventions. One of the creative things that we've tied
into is we're making a comment about Bach's role in
Voyager one that launched in nineteen seventy seven and in
(25:00):
twenty thirteen it left our solar system and started moving
toward the outer parts of the world. One of the
pieces of one of the pieces that's on that Voids
Are One is a recording of music from the world.
(25:20):
Bach has more recordings on that. He didn't do them himself,
but Bach has more recordings on that CD than any
other composer that is included there. So he's literally out
of this world at this point, so.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Unfortunately, like funding in our schools, the arts tend to
be the first area where funding gets cut in the
great community to give. We want to make sure that's
not what happens. As our listeners are choosing where to
make their contributions this year, Spread spread the wealth.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
It's what I would recommend.
Speaker 7 (25:57):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Why is it so important that listeners today that are
hearing your message help support the Shenandoah Valley Bock Festival working.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
I just went to.
Speaker 8 (26:11):
Lip sync for kids, and this is not about the
Bock Festival. This is about j R. Snow's program of
Every Given Child.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
What happens with.
Speaker 8 (26:22):
Kids and music, what happens with adults in music is
you get fresh life, you get inspired, you are renewed
in your soul. And that's really the heart of what
music does for people. We need it in the community,
We need it in our we need it in our
individual lives and our personal lives. The support of music,
(26:47):
not just in schools, but also in our larger community
is critical to I believe emotional health. We may not
think about it because when we're driving up down the road,
often we play whatever music we like to listen to
more frequently than we do just about anything else. So yeah,
(27:09):
it's important to us emotionally, spiritually.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
So let's what challenges do the arts face right now
and how does their community support help address those challenges.
Speaker 8 (27:18):
Probably the biggest detriment to the arts was COVID, so
rebuilding an audience is pretty important making it accessible. Somebody
last year told me that when I think about classical music,
I think about high priced tickets. The Bock Festival has
(27:40):
a current operating policy of making music accessible. So of
the noon concerts that we have, those are all free
our contributions, I should say. Our ticket sales are based
on pay as you're able, and we give some options,
but if you can't pay anything but a dollar, or
(28:00):
you can't pay anything, you're still welcome to attend one
of our concerts. So our interest is in making music
accessible as possible for not just the noon concerts, but
also our festival concerts that occur on Friday and Saturday
evening Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings of the festival week.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
We're shaking with less hellmouth. He's the executive director of
the Shenandoa Valley Bank Festival. Lest we only have a
couple of seconds left. What is something you'd hope that
someone attending the Bank Festival for the very first time
experiences or takes away.
Speaker 8 (28:33):
I've got a quick story because it goes back to
the affordability thing. One of our patrons last year made
a comment that said along these lines, I have always
believed because my family couldn't afford to go to classical
music concerts, but because you have created a way for
(28:53):
us to attend at little or no cost, I am
absolutely blown away by what I've missed all these years.
So come out and do a concert, Come out and attend.
We welcome you and our goal quite frankly, for the
Great Community Give. Our noon concerts are free to the public,
(29:18):
but we still pay our musicians. So for every twenty
five hundred dollars we raised during the Great Community Give,
that helps to support a free concert at as Very
United Methodist Church.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
The Great Community Give is coming up on Wednesday, April
twenty second. You can find more information at Great Community
Give to aut O Work. I want to thank our
guests today. Angela Carter, executive director for the Ark of
Harrisonburg and Rockingham. Everett Brewbaker, executive director of renew Rocktown
and Let's Helmooth, executive director of Shenandoah Valley Bok Festival.
Also want to thank Lauren Jefferson with the Community Foundation
for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. They are the organizer of
(29:53):
this year's ninth annual Great Community Give. We appreciate you
joining us this morning here on iHeart Communities.
Welcome to iHeart Communities. I'm Chris Carmichael. Today we're spotlighting
the Great Community Give. It's a powerful day of generosity
that brings Harrisonburg and Rockingham County together to support local
nonprofits making a real impact. And we're going to hear
from community leaders about how giving local strengthens lives, neighborhoods,
and the arts. And our guests today are Lauren Jefferson
(00:21):
with the Community Foundation for Harrisenburg and Rockingham County. Angela
Carter is the executive director of the Ark of Harrisenburg
and Rockingham. Everett Brubaker is the executive director of Renewed
rock Town, and Les Helmuth the executive director of Snandoah
Valley Bok Festival. Lauren, we're less than a week away
now from the Great Community Give. It's coming up this Wednesday,
(00:42):
kicks off as soon as the sun starts to rise.
Got a ton of nonprofits. I think one hundred and
fifty eight organizations are involved this year, and a lofty goal.
We're going to try to raise two point five million
dollars if I remember correctly. A lot to get ready
for it, but and a lot to be excited about.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, we're very excited. The total so far is nobody
can see this yet, but I'm just spreading the word here.
We're up to one hundred and ninety thousand, so well
on our way to that goal. And we've had lots
of good messaging and seen lots of social media out
there with organizations spreading the word about what they're fundraising
(01:18):
for and their goals and perhaps perhaps the Power Hour
that they're going to compete for on April twenty second,
this upcoming Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
So I mentioned one hundred and fifty eight organizations are involved.
We're going to speak with three of those organizations here
in just a moment. How can we help these organizations
if we find it in our heart and our wallet
to be able to give.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
So you can go to our website Great Community gift
dot org and search for a particular organization that you're
perhaps passionate about, or if you want to explore, I
should say, and if you want to explore, we encourage
you to give to an organization that you know about,
but maybe one that you haven't heard of before. You
can go to the search are at the top of
that homepage and look for causes. You can look for
(02:04):
organizations you can type in a keyword and you can
look around browse that site and see one hundred and
fifty eight organizations and get an idea of what they're
doing in our community and perhaps you know, pick one
or two or ten that you'd like to give to.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
We're talking with Lauren Jefferson. She's with the Community Foundation
for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. They organize our annual Great
Community Give. The ninth annual Great Community Give is coming
up this Wednesday, that is April twenty second, from sunrise
to sunset. Lauren, what's one thing that you would like
our listeners to know about the Community Foundation that maybe
(02:39):
isn't common knowledge about what you do.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
So we have several one hundred generous donors who are
fundholders here and their gifts go out to the community,
but their gifts also help us provide this programming. The
Great Community Give is a program that we fund here
and we purchase a subscription and we provide administrative support.
(03:05):
So this is something that we do. It's one of
our high profile events and we love it. It takes
a lot of time and energy, but it's really one
of the ways that we can support all the wonderful
organizations and the people who are really working to make
this value better. So that's courtesy of the people who
give through us, and their support is really important to
(03:26):
this community wide event. It's really the foundation for this.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So we mentioned that the Great Community Give is coming
up on Wednesday, but we don't have to wait till
Wednesday to make co donation.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Early giving is underway, it is.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
And most of our giving happens through the website, but
you are welcome. If you're not comfortable doing that, or
you just prefer to give a cash or check, you
can contact the organization and give to them directly. So
the best thing to do would be to make a
phone call or send an email and check and see
what a good time would be to drop that off
(04:00):
in house. We don't handle those here in our office.
We just can't can't do that. We want you to
take them straight to the organizations. But there is an
early giving option, and that's cash or check or online
through the website, and that's happening yes now through actually
five point fifty nine am on April twenty second, and
(04:21):
then at six am we start the big day with
the prizes offered for nonprofits and we can lan on
an hourly basis and we.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Can find out more information at Great Community Give dot org.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yes, and so we encourage you to go visit that website.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
You've got a secure portal to make your credit card
donation there if you'd like.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That's one benefit of using this platform as it is
safe and secure to give that way and you get
a receipt and that's all automated. Our nonprofit folks don't
have to spend time doing that.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
The Great Community to Give for Harrisonburg and Rockham County
is coming up on Wednesday, April twenty second. Great Community
Give dot org is the website. You can go there
right now. Early Giving us underway and then the big
event happens Wednesday at starting at six am. One of
the organizations, one of the one hundred and fifty eight
that are participating this year, is the Ark of Harrisonburg
(05:10):
and Rockingham and Angela Carter is the executive director with
the Ark of Harrisonburg and Rockingham.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Angela, good morning, good morning, Thank you so much for
featuring us.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Absolutely For those who aren't familiar, can you briefly explain
the mission of the Ark of Harrisonburg and Rockingham and
who you serve in our community.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Absolutely.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
We started many years back with a group of parent advocates.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
We support, empower.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
And advocate for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities along
with their family supports. We believe that we support not
only the individuals, but the full family units.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
So what does participating in the great community give mean
for the ARK and why is this event so important
in the work that you do well.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
Our programming is imperative to those that we serve. I mean,
if you can imagine a life to were inclusion and
learning about our community is not easy.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
What many do not know about the.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Arc of HR is that we have a full transportation
program vehicles that transport our participants, some of them that
are in wheelchairs use walkers that wouldn't have readily available transportation.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
All around our community.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
It is imperative to receive funds as gas prices continue.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
It is in need.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
We need to make sure that those with disabilities have
the same rights and access to the community as everyone else,
regardless of their income, and most of those that we
serve our low income.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
The community has supported you through the years.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Can you give me a success story of how the
community support has benefited the ARC.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
I think last night was a great example. We got
home around midnight, a huge group of us joined at
the Atlantic Union Bank Center at JMU where sororities and
fraternities put together. Jamie Greek saying that benefited the ARC.
It is not just about the funds. It is the
(07:09):
fact that our participants are able to see a full
community get together and celebrate them and they felt like superstars.
I cannot tell you what that means day in and
day out, that we are an organization we do not
see the disability. We see all the abilities, and in fact,
most people are thinking that those that we serve are
(07:30):
learning from us. It is the exact opposite. Anyone that
spends the day here will see that it's us that
learn from our participants. The gratitude of things that so
many of us take for granted, and funds from these
fundraisers and donors throughout the area make that all possible.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
It's life changing.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
This morning here on iHeart Communities, we're talking about the
great community give. Angela Carter's the executive director of the
Ark of Harrisenburg and Rockingham, one of the one hundred
and fifty eight nonprofits participating this year, Angela, We're blessed
here in the Shenandoah Valley to have so many great
nonprofits that are helping our community. What sets the ARC
apart from other organizations that are helping the same participants.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
Well, I mean, I think I'd like to reword it
in a way of how are we doing our part
to help because anyone human needs multiple things. You know,
we provide a lot of services here and we're glad
to be a part of the network that serves those
with disabilities through.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
At the area.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
But we believe in, you know, the whole person. We
provide everything from community engagement, which means that our vehicles
and our participants are actually out in the community every
single day volunteering at sites of other nonprofits. We create
the dog biscuits at SPCA, we organize clothes at thrift stores,
(08:56):
We deliver meals on wheels, we deliver meals through the
backpack program. So our participants are giving back to the community,
and we're proud to be a part of the cycle
of all of these areas that those with disabilities need assistance.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
With, Angela, how will the money that's raised this year
for the ARC help grow or adapt to emerging needs
and really.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Will support our transportation program.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
It is the most costly part of our programming, and
as you know, is costs rise in our economy, it
makes it harder to do so. When you're running a
fleet of twenty vehicles, the vehicle repair cost is high,
but it is essential. It is not a luxury. It
is the difference between individuals having access to the community
(09:44):
and not being isolated, and families being able to continue
to work versus not when the parents of those that
we serve had children. As many of us, we do
not imagine that our children will be thirty, forty, fifty
years old and still be at home. What we do
is a requirement, and as with most nonprofits, you don't
(10:07):
fully see the need until you need the resource.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
But I can guarantee you that someone.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
That you know is affected in a positive way by
what we do here at the ARC. We even serve
over five hundred families with food with food and security
programming throughout the area we give back. I would also
love to add that there is a piece of things
that we do here that people aren't even aware of,
(10:34):
which is legislation and advocacy. So we have our first
ever self advocacy program, which includes a full booklet accessible
to anyone in the community that wants to understand how
to advocate for themselves, and we go to Capitol Hill,
the House of Delegates with our participants so that they
(10:56):
can self advocate. I executive director, and I'm going to say,
I think that what we have here is a very magical,
needed place and the community support seems to point in
a direction that people also believe in that too.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Angela Carter is executive director with the Ark of Harrisenberg
and Rockingham. I'm sure our listeners right now are feeling
the need to help out if they can't afford to help,
but they still want to participate in a way. Is
there a volunteer opportunity? Are there ways that they can
support the ARC?
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Absolutely?
Speaker 5 (11:33):
Since I joined two years ago, we have developed a
full volunteer program.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
We thrive off of it.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
We have around ten volunteers a day depending on what
we do.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
Please visit our website, fill out the.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
Forum, send an email to Engagement an hr art dot
org and we will have something.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
For you to help.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
We believe that service is the ultimate piece of giving,
beyond being a donor, and we welcome you for any talent,
whether you want to teach us how to make a quilt,
whether you want to help us in the office, or
we have a bit of everything.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
So thank you so much for asking.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
And looking ahead. What are your hopes and goals for
the arc end the near future.
Speaker 5 (12:18):
That we continue to thrive. We've grown in the last
three years. We've gone from thirty eight participants to now
around seventy eight, and there's a need for many, many,
many more. We just want to continue bettering our services
and reaching out to more in the community, even if
they aren't directly receiving our community engagement and in home services.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
We're here to serve.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
We know what it's like to not belong, to feel different,
to have to fight for inclusion, and we want to
be that home for people when they need resources and
want to be a part of this community.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Great Community Give is Wednesday, April twenty second. We're just
a few days away now. It's a summrise to sunset
day of giving. You can give now though early giving
us underway. Just go to Great Community Give dot org.
We have one hundred and fifty eight nonprofits participating this year,
including renew Rock Town, Everett, Brubakers, the executive director, and Everett,
we welcome you into iHeart Communities and get us behind
(13:18):
the scenes.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Tell us a little bit about what you do in Harrisonburg.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
Happy to Chris, Thanks so much for having myself and
other organizations on to share our stories. Renew Rocktown is
based here in Harrisonburg, serve the city, in the county
really with a mission to foster resilient communities and a
healthy planet. We're a small environmental nonprofit with a big
mission and a big vision to connect and bring people together,
(13:43):
particularly to address the challenges in our communities, to make
our communities stronger in places where people thrive. So we're
a ten year old organization that historically was volunteer run,
a volunteer run alliance, and we're in the stage of
growth and transformation to build the capacity we need to
address our issues, our environmental issues here in our community.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
So why does the great community give such an important
opportunity for renew Rock Town.
Speaker 7 (14:08):
It's two fold.
Speaker 6 (14:09):
It's a chance for us to share the work we've
been doing and the vision that we have for our community,
and then to connect with other organizations that do that.
I think there's a lot of benefit in highlighting and
celebrating other organizations because we have specific areas of focus,
but there's also places where our missions co mingle.
Speaker 7 (14:28):
It's a chance for the community to see that too.
Speaker 6 (14:30):
I think where how we all participate in the fabric
of this community to make it stronger and to make
it places where people thrive, I believe is at the heart.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
Of what many of our organs are doing.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
So renew Rocktown often focuses on restoration, whether that's people, property,
or neighborhoods. Can you share a story that reflects that
kind of transformation.
Speaker 6 (14:50):
Yeah, So we see ourselves as a connector and facilitator
for environmental work and particularly to bring in organizations and
people that may not see themselves as invin dentalists or
doing climate advocacy.
Speaker 7 (15:02):
So, for example, on.
Speaker 6 (15:04):
Friday, the April twenty four, we're hosting our second annual
Earth Day luncheon. It's a chance to bring together over
one hundred conservationists, students, businesses, nonprofits, folks who work in advocacy,
folks who don't to kind of recognize our shared care
for this place, for this community and this planet. So
(15:25):
we do that kind of work to help people build
connections where they may not have them. Additionally, we're launching
at the end of the month a pilot program working
on making our homes more energy efficient. So we've been
doing this work for several years and we're lucky with
support from the great community give and grants as well
to have the funds to get into homes that need
(15:48):
it to help lower utility bills and make homes more
energy efficient, which does good not just for our environment,
but for the people who are living in them in
our communities as well. Has that work evolved over the
years as a small environmental nonprofit. Early on, that work
was mainly in trying to connect people with existing programs
that are out there, and it's changed right as federal
(16:11):
funding has evolved and changed, as local capacity evolves and.
Speaker 7 (16:15):
Change, Organizations like ours kind of have to be nimble.
Speaker 6 (16:18):
We're lucky though, in this community to be in a
community that wants to invest in its organizations, that cares
about local capacity and local strength and decision making. So
that work for us has grown as we've brought in
other partners. Our energy efficiency work includes Value Program for
Aging Services, the United Way.
Speaker 7 (16:39):
Locally, the Shenando Valley Black Heritage project.
Speaker 8 (16:41):
Right.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
These aren't environmental organizations, but they recognize that doing that
kind of work in a home impacts the health of
the inhabitants of that home. It improves our housing stock,
it lowers bills for families who need more money in
their pocket. And I think as we build that kind
of collaboration and connection and recognition that our missions can
work together, we start building a community where people can
(17:05):
can drive.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
This morning, here on iHeart Communities, we're talking about the
Great Community Give. It's coming up on Wednesday, from six
am until sunset. You've got a whole day to give
and help one hundred and fifty eight nonprofits here in
our community. The goal of this year is to raise
two point five million dollars. Everett bru Baker is the
executive director of renew Rocktown and Effett, you're hoping that
a portion of what's raised this year is going to
(17:28):
benefit your organization so that you can benefit the community.
How does the community's generosity play into helping renew Rocktown
respond to urgent or unexpected needs.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
Well, like I said, if you're in an organization, if
you're in a nonprofit, there's the work you do, and
then there's the work you dream about and have a
vision for. It's the Great Community Give and other opportunities
like that for the community to invest in organizations that
allows us to put some of that dreaming and visioning
into practice. So we're in conversations with the city about
(18:02):
a tree Steward's program. For example, we're scheming up a
fix it festival for the fall where people can bring
their small appliances and clothing and we actually do some
repair work and try to keep some of our materials
and things out of the landfill. These are dreams that
we talk about in Every organization has their own Great
Community Give is a part of making that happen. Helping
(18:23):
an organization to have more capacity, to have the support
and financial support and the connection to the community, just
the awareness that these are organizations doing work in this space,
and that combination allows smaller organizations or organizations of all
sizes to move towards meeting their visions, not just their
(18:44):
kind of tangible immediate mission.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
If you'd like to support renewed Rock Town, you can
go to Great Community Gift Org right now make that
financial support. But the community also may want to go
beyond that. How can they get involved in helping you
with your mission.
Speaker 6 (18:58):
I would encourage folks to connect with us on social media.
We also do a monthly newsletter let the community know
upcoming environmental events. The news we had to highlight recently
of some of the bills that came out of the
General Assembly and how they impact our water, our air,
our transportation and food.
Speaker 7 (19:16):
Such a good way to connect.
Speaker 6 (19:18):
We have our Earth Day luncheon coming up April twenty four.
Speaker 7 (19:22):
RCPs closed for.
Speaker 6 (19:23):
That soon, and we'll also be out in the community
at events, so we encourage you to come see us
and meet us. We've got a really neat team. We're
lucky to have several paid interns this semester too, so
reach out. We'd love to connect with you and your
organization or you as a person.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Everett, looking ahead, what are your hopes for renewed raw
Town and for the community here in the coming year.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
I envisioned a community where people and organizations recognize how
important it is that we take care of this place,
our shared planet. We recently had folks travel around the
moon and take a look back. It's a stark reminder
of the importance of this place that we all share.
(20:10):
We're lucky to be here in the beautiful Shandoa Valley,
and I envision renew Rocktown as an organization that can
help do that facilitating and connecting work.
Speaker 7 (20:22):
Because when you.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
Talk about you know, communities that you can walk and
bike in, when you talk about local food, when you
talk about energy efficient homes, these are not just environmental issues.
Speaker 7 (20:31):
They're not just thinking about carbon emissions. Right.
Speaker 6 (20:35):
It is about helping people thrive and live better lives.
People are safer and healthier when they can walk and
bike in a community.
Speaker 7 (20:41):
Right.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
Our housing is stronger when we make it more energy efficient,
and bills are lower. So this is this is work
that is that is connected and integrated. So I see
a community that's moving that direction and working outside of
their silos, and I see Realdy Rocktown as helping to
do that, connecting and helping strengthen.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
Matt Fabric, you'd like to help out Renew Rocktown in
their mission this year? The Great Community Give is Wednesday,
April twenty second. You can learn more information at Great
Community Give dot org. I'd like bringing Less Hellmuth. He's
the executive director of Shinadoah Valley Bok Festival and Less
I'm going to start off by saying, I don't know
a lot about Bach, so we're going to have to
(21:23):
walk a little slower on this conversation, and you're gonna
have to get me up to speed. I do love
the style of music, but I don't know that I
could pick a Box song out if you played it
for me.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I apologize, Well, let me first start.
Speaker 8 (21:36):
I'll get to Box shortly. But I want to make
a comment about the generosity of this community. First of all,
I've been doing fundraising for a variety of organizations in
this community for almost fifty years, or just slightly over
fifty years, and this is an exceptionally generous community, illustrated
(21:56):
by the great community give but also illustrated by the
leadership that the Community Foundation has given for the last
twenty five years in guiding individuals and organizations to consider
major investments in our community fabric to make it possible
for us to meet the critical needs of our community.
(22:20):
And so we've been blessed to be part of a
community that has not just the Community Foundation, but what
brings what makes this alive, is the donors and individuals
in this community have art for making a difference in
this community.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Now to Bach.
Speaker 8 (22:41):
You don't need to know anything about Bach to enjoy
the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. In fact, our mission is
to cultivate the transformative power of music, starting with Bach
or inspired by Bach, and what he did in the
sixteen hundreds was to inspire other composers, others like him
(23:05):
who like to make music, but also to stir the
heart to enrich their communities wherever they are. So we,
in some respects we start with Bach, but Bach isn't
the only thing we do. If you show up at
any of the noon concerts that we do, which are free,
you will find all manner of composers, both contemporary and
(23:32):
age old folks like Mozart and Chopin and a few
of those other guys that you know for our age
old composers that have been the standard repertoire for classical
musicians for all these years. The other thing we do
is we try to bring in other genres. So on
Tuesday night, June the ninth, the week of the festival,
(23:53):
June eight to fourteen, we are bringing in a band.
And I'm not exactly sure that we've nailed down yet,
but we're bringing a band to Pale Fire Brewing Company
downtown and last year we had Dogwood Tales. They were awesome.
It was a standing room only event, and people are
already asking if we're going to do the same thing.
(24:14):
We will do something very similar to that. Hopefully it's
we'd love to have Dogwood Tales back, and we'll see
if that works out. So starting with both, we do
a whole bunch of other things as well. And a
note Everett mentioned the guys that just came back were
(24:36):
the group that just came back from having navigated around
the moon. It's particularly interesting. Our theme this year is
creative inventions. One of the creative things that we've tied
into is we're making a comment about Bach's role in
Voyager one that launched in nineteen seventy seven and in
(25:00):
twenty thirteen it left our solar system and started moving
toward the outer parts of the world. One of the
pieces of one of the pieces that's on that Voids
Are One is a recording of music from the world.
(25:20):
Bach has more recordings on that. He didn't do them himself,
but Bach has more recordings on that CD than any
other composer that is included there. So he's literally out
of this world at this point, so.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Unfortunately, like funding in our schools, the arts tend to
be the first area where funding gets cut in the
great community to give. We want to make sure that's
not what happens. As our listeners are choosing where to
make their contributions this year, Spread spread the wealth.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
It's what I would recommend.
Speaker 7 (25:57):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Why is it so important that listeners today that are
hearing your message help support the Shenandoah Valley Bock Festival working.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
I just went to.
Speaker 8 (26:11):
Lip sync for kids, and this is not about the
Bock Festival. This is about j R. Snow's program of
Every Given Child.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
What happens with.
Speaker 8 (26:22):
Kids and music, what happens with adults in music is
you get fresh life, you get inspired, you are renewed
in your soul. And that's really the heart of what
music does for people. We need it in the community,
We need it in our we need it in our
individual lives and our personal lives. The support of music,
(26:47):
not just in schools, but also in our larger community
is critical to I believe emotional health. We may not
think about it because when we're driving up down the road,
often we play whatever music we like to listen to
more frequently than we do just about anything else. So yeah,
(27:09):
it's important to us emotionally, spiritually.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
So let's what challenges do the arts face right now
and how does their community support help address those challenges.
Speaker 8 (27:18):
Probably the biggest detriment to the arts was COVID, so
rebuilding an audience is pretty important making it accessible. Somebody
last year told me that when I think about classical music,
I think about high priced tickets. The Bock Festival has
(27:40):
a current operating policy of making music accessible. So of
the noon concerts that we have, those are all free
our contributions, I should say. Our ticket sales are based
on pay as you're able, and we give some options,
but if you can't pay anything but a dollar, or
(28:00):
you can't pay anything, you're still welcome to attend one
of our concerts. So our interest is in making music
accessible as possible for not just the noon concerts, but
also our festival concerts that occur on Friday and Saturday
evening Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings of the festival week.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
We're shaking with less hellmouth. He's the executive director of
the Shenandoa Valley Bank Festival. Lest we only have a
couple of seconds left. What is something you'd hope that
someone attending the Bank Festival for the very first time
experiences or takes away.
Speaker 8 (28:33):
I've got a quick story because it goes back to
the affordability thing. One of our patrons last year made
a comment that said along these lines, I have always
believed because my family couldn't afford to go to classical
music concerts, but because you have created a way for
(28:53):
us to attend at little or no cost, I am
absolutely blown away by what I've missed all these years.
So come out and do a concert, Come out and attend.
We welcome you and our goal quite frankly, for the
Great Community Give. Our noon concerts are free to the public,
(29:18):
but we still pay our musicians. So for every twenty
five hundred dollars we raised during the Great Community Give,
that helps to support a free concert at as Very
United Methodist Church.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
The Great Community Give is coming up on Wednesday, April
twenty second. You can find more information at Great Community
Give to aut O Work. I want to thank our
guests today. Angela Carter, executive director for the Ark of
Harrisonburg and Rockingham. Everett Brewbaker, executive director of renew Rocktown
and Let's Helmooth, executive director of Shenandoah Valley Bok Festival.
Also want to thank Lauren Jefferson with the Community Foundation
for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. They are the organizer of
(29:53):
this year's ninth annual Great Community Give. We appreciate you
joining us this morning here on iHeart Communities.
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