Good morning, Neighbors!  I hope 2025 is off to a wonderful start and you are finding a way to stay warm.

In just 3 weeks, the Mill City Singers will return to rehearsing on February 1st, 2:00-3:30, on the 8th floor of the Guthrie.  Remember that all you need to do is come!!  There are no fees to anyone who wants to sing and no auditions.  The board of Be That Neighbor does the work of raising funds to support this and all of our other programs so that participants do not have to worry about being able to afford the fees.  Just come.

The schedule for the rest of the 2024-25 season is as follows:

February 1, 8 (Show and Tell), 15, 22
 
March 1, 8, 15, 22, 25 (Concert at Capri Theater), 29
 
April 5, 12, 26
 
May 3, 10, 17
 
June 7, 14, 21, 28
 
Our season will end on June 27th with a concert at Kelley Park in Apple Valley.  We do this every year and it is always great fun.

Please read your weekly emails as things may and will change as the year progresses. Stay tuned!!

I close this email with a quote from C.S. Lewis. "Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."  How about today?

Good morning, Neighbors!  I hope 2025 is off to a wonderful start. We have been busily working to plan a great year and can't wait to share the information.

The Mill City Singers are on winter hiatus and will return to rehearsing on February 1st, 2:00-3:30, on the 8th floor of the Guthrie.  Remember that all you need to do is come!!  There are no fees and no auditions.  The board of Be That Neighbor does the work of raising funds to support this and all of our other programs so that participants do not have to worry about being able to afford the fees.  Just come.

The schedule for the rest of the 2024-25 season is as follows:

February 1, 8, 15, 22
 
March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
 
April 5, 12, 26
 
May 3, 10, 17
 
June 7, 14, 21, 28
 
July 12

Please read your weekly emails as things may and will change as the year progresses. Stay tuned!!

I close this email with a quote from Wester Hailes. "When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change."  May it ever be so!!

Claudia, Jan, Mimi, Susan, Jennifer, JD, Chuck, and Mike

Good morning, neighbors!   As 2024 comes to an end, Be That Neighbor has so very much to celebrate.  The energy we feel as our programs continue to expand is nothing short of wonderful. If the pandemic taught us anything, it taught us to be grateful for every time we gather with our neighbors and friends.

Over 100 individual donors supported our mission in 2024. Every program that we created and manage is free and open to every participant. There are no fees to participate in any Be That Neighbor program, nor are there any requirements.  Our motto is, “Just come!” Finding the money to pay the professionals who lead our program is part of our work.  We start the programs, we find the very best professionals to lead our programs, we manage the programs, we find places for our programs to live, and we find the funding to make it all happen. It’s wonderful work and we love what we do.

2024 saw a resurgence of the Mill City Singers.  Every week, there are 5-8 inquiries about how to join the singers.  There are over 450 singers on our roster, with an average attendance of 65 singersl  We performed at Capri Theater twice, and, as always, had the very best time in one of the most beautiful venues in Minneapolis. Singing in Loring Park and Apple Valley are favorite outings, and, of course, leading the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7^th inning stretch at Target Field. 

Yoga in the Park met every Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day in Gold Medal Park and was wonderful.  While rain interrupted us a few times, we averaged 47 practitioners. This is a simple and meaningful part of summer in our community.

We again sponsored National Night Out.  Gold Medal Park was the location of this gathering of our community.  This year we featured the Enso Taiko drumming group and everyone who attended was thrilled with the performance.  We are so thankful to each of you who participated in this event to help solidify our community.  The drummers are already committed to returning next year!

Our efforts to provide activities in Gold Medal Park were wonderfully successful. We are thrilled to give Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship recipients a chance to shine and shine they did.  Barb and Eben Gillespie led a sing-a-long. Open Eye Theater performed a wonderful puppet show that was enjoyed by adults and children. Our best attended event was the afternoon we brought in an aerialist who performed a thrilling act with students from her school.

Be That Neighbor is honored to partner with the Zahara Kathawalla Foundation.  “The purpose of the ZKF is to honor Zahara’s legacy by awarding funding that supports young individuals on their path toward personal growth through broadened experiences and opportunities in three intersecting areas: education, cultural exploration, and wellness.” We look forward to 2025 and to new ways to partner with this neighborhood charity.

 We all agree that music is incredibly important in our daily lives, for health and for joy, and making sure that children have music in their lives as they grow and develop is even more important. The Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship is currently serving 13 very talented young people.  It is designed to make sure that children get those music lessons when their families can’t afford them.  We pay the teachers to give the lessons, and the joy it brings is obvious when you hear these singers sing.  If you haven’t seen the video about this program, please watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLk3SJqYnrQ.

On October 17th with the support of MacPhail Center for Music, we were honored to host a benefit concert in Antonello Hall featuring the Steeles. Several of the Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship recipients as well as athletes and scholars from Cedar Riverside helped us greet our guests and made sure everyone felt welcomed. The Steeles rocked the house and sent us home feeling optimistic and joyful.  What else can you ask?

We continue to partner with the Cedar Riverside Athletics and Enrichment community organization. The dynamic young people who make this organization work are incredibly effective.  From the founding of the first ever Youth Council to athletic activities to homework sessions to so much more, to the first summer of Ground Work, they are determined to change our city and be part of making the future brighter and better. We are so proud to work with these wonderful people and their fearless leader, Jennifer Weber.

2025 will see the production of Hope 612, written by our own Dream Team; Mahad Ahmed, Anthony Anderson, Sam Karpeh, Mahamed Salad, and Miske Salad. The script will tell the real life stories of growing up on the streets of Minneapolis, ending with the hopes of the young people who live here. You can learn more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYNvl6aN_6g

2025 will be more . . .more singing, more yoga, more concerts, and things we haven't even imagined yet. There are some surprises coming and joy all around!

I am honored every day to work with the best board of directors. When Be that Neighbor began 9 years ago, we agreed on 2 things about the board.  We have to like each other (which is easy) and we have to have different talents.  It has made the running of this organization joyful and fun. 

• Susan Doherty is our grant writer and her experience and skills in all matters can’t be replicated. 

• Jennifer Weber connects us to Cedar Riverside and makes sure we are a true community with our friends a few blocks away. 

• Jan Mershon is our creative force.  For every idea the rest of us come up with, Jan has 10.

• JD Steele is our musical genius, directing the Mill City Singers, the Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship, and composing and arranging new music for us whenever the need arises.

• Chuck Geary is invaluable in raising money and helping us generate a plan for partnering with local businesses.

• I continue to do what I do best, have coffee, which is my joy and how I connect with our neighbors. I also manage yoga in the park, the Mill City Singers, and Hope 612. I am honored to meet so many of you, to learn from you and listen to you, and to discover what it means to support a community.

• Mildred Methvin and Michael Seaman have joined the board in the last few weeks and will be wonderful assets going forward.

Nothing we do would be possible without the incredible generosity of our partners. We are so thankful to the Guthrie, to MacPhail, to Ten Thousand Things, to the Cedar Riverside Youth Council, to Gold Medal Park, to the Capri Theater, DMNA,  to the Minnesota State Arts Board, to the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and to every one of our 100 individual donors. You make it all possible.

 We thank you for your help and your continued support. Please ‘like’ Be That Neighbor on Facebook.  All news and events are posted there as well as on our website, bethatneighbor.org.  Tell your friends, tell your neighbors. For questions and comments, please contact me at cjkittock@gmail.com Donations can be made at https://www.givemn.org/organization/Be-That-Neighbor.
 
 Claudia, Jan, Jennifer, Susan, JD, Chuck, Mimi, and Michael

Good morning, singers!  I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was filled with laughter and love and great food. 

We have two wonderful weeks planned for the Mill City Singers.  On Saturday, December 7th, we will rehearse on the 8th floor of the Guthrie at 2:00.  At around 2:30, we will move to the lobby inside the Endless Bridge and sing for people who attended the matinee of 'A Christmas Carol' as they leave the Guthrie. It's a really fun event and hope you can all be there.

On December 14th, we will be singing at Catholic Eldercare, 817 NE Main St, Please plan to be there by 2:00.  We will sing with residents there until 3:30. We did this pre-pandemic and it was a memorable afternoon.  Mark your calendars!  You won't want to miss it.

Thank you for all you do to make the Mill City Singers the fabulous group it is. I look forward to a wonderful December with you.

To all of our neighbors and friends.

We are so grateful to each and every one of you for being part of creating this community we all love.  When we began Be That Neighbor we decided that being a part of our community had nothing to do with geography and joke that we 'don't check passports'. As Rabbi Joachim Prinz said, 'A neighbor is not defined by geography, but by a moral responsibility to care for and support those around you, regardless of distance.' That is the work we do with each and every one of you.

Today and every day we are thankful for;
-our donors.  In 2024, over 100 individual helped support this work.
-our partners.  We are so grateful to the Guthrie for the donation of our practice space, to MacPhail for the donation of the gorgeous Antonello Hall for our benefit concert, to the Zahara Kathawalla Foundation for their continued support, to Blossom Johnson for her work as a dramaturg to Hope 612, to the Cedar Riverside community for being fully engaged with us and sharing the Brian Coyle space with us.
-our volunteers. Mahad Ahmed, Anthony Anderson, Sam Karpeh, Miske Salad, and Mahamed Salad, the Dream Team, and writers of the incredible play, Hope 612.
-our board.  We are an all volunteer board.  Everything we do is done with grace and passion. Thank you to Jennifer Weber, Jan Mershon, Susan Doherty, JD Steele, Chuck Geary, Mimi Methvin, and Mike Seaman. I have never worked with a better group of people. They bring wisdom and laughter and hugs to everything we do and together we never lose focus on the work before us.

I was recently asked how this all happened.  I replied that we often assume we know what’s best for others, but real change happens when we take the time to hear directly from the people we want to help. We hope this nudges people to start conversations, listen deeply, and take small, actionable steps toward creating opportunities for all. It’s about being brave enough to try, even if you’re unsure of the outcome. That’s how real connections are formed, and real change begins.

Thank you for helping us to be brave enough to try!!

Claudia, Jennifer, Jan, Susan, Chuck, JD, Mimi, and Mike

Good morning, Singers!

We have a busy month ahead of us and plan to finish 2024 with great joy and a huge amount of fun.  On November 23rd, we will be rehearsing on the 8th floor of the Guthrie, 2:00-3:30.  There is no rehearsal on November 30th.

On December 7th we will meet for our usual rehearsal on the 8th floor of the Guthrie at 2:00.  We will be going to the lobby by the Endless Bridge midway through our rehearsal and finish our time together that day singing for patrons of 'A Christmas Carol' as they leave the theater.

On December 14th, we will meet at Catholic Eldercare, 817 NE Main St, at 2:00 and sing with residents there until 3:30. It is great fun and you will want to be part of it.

Our next rehearsal will be on February 1st, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. We will have to manage the absence  of our friends and fellow musicians during this  winter hiatus, just imagine the fun on February 1st. You can always have coffee with each other!!  I highly recommend it.

We are so grateful that you come, that you sing with your whole heart, and that we can all laugh together.  Each and every one of you IS that neighbor.

Claudia

Hello, Singers!

The concert at the Capri was great fun.  There was incredible energy and, led by our JD and Fred, it was impossible not to 'catch' the optimism and joy.  Thank you to all of you that were there.  We can only do this with YOU and are grateful you showed up.

Friday, November 15th, we are singing at the Guthrie before opening night for "A Christmas Carol'. Please remember to meet us in the lobby by the Endless Bridge, between the 4th and 5th floors.  Plan to be there at 6:30.  There are no formal plans for what we are singing beyond what JD has us do . . .so don't stay home because you weren't there for rehearsal.  It will be extemporaneous and quite fun!  Dress in bright colors, and come sing with us.

Rehearsal on the 16th is a usual rehearsal, whatever that means!!!  See you on the 8th floor, 200-3:30.

It is an honor to sing with all of you!

Thank you---Claudia

Good morning, Singers.  We have a wonderful week planned and will need you to make it work well. 

On Tuesday, November 12th, we will be singing 3 songs at the Capri Theater, 2027 West Broadway.  Parking is limited, so arriving by 6:00 for our 7:00 performance should make parking easier.  Please don't worry if you can't make it by 6, just come and sing with us.  It's a wonderful night of community and joy, and we can all use that infusion right now.  Please wear bright fall colors and bring all your energy!

On Friday, November 15th, we will be singing at the Guthrie before the opening night performance of 'A Christmas Carol'.  Meet in the lobby in front of the Endless Bridge, between the 4th and 5th floors. We will be singing carols and JD promises to engage the audience, which is great fun!  Please be there by 6:30 and we will be done by 7:30.  A great night!

On Saturday, November 16th, we will rehearse on the 8th floor of the Guthrie, 2:00-3:30.  A great way to end a terrific week.

See you all there---Claudia

Good morning, Singers!  It's a good day to do some work on your calendar, and here are the dates you will want to mark down.

-November 9th, rehearse, 2:00
-November 12, Concert at the Capri (2027 West Broadway), be there by 6:00 pm
-November 15, Caroling at the Guthrie, 6:30 pm
-November 16, rehearse, 2:00
-November 23, rehearse, 2:00
-December 7, rehearse and carol at the Guthrie, 2:00
-December 14, caroling at Catholic Eldercare (817 NE Main St,), 2:00
-December 21, rehearse, 2:00

We DO have fun, some come and enjoy!  You will be so glad you did.

Claudia

Good morning, Singers!  We hope you are enjoying the wonderful weather, knowing it won't last but embracing this moment.

We are having so much fun.  Every week we practice new music while singing songs we know. We laugh together and make wonderful music. The magic that happens every week is that all these rather ordinary voices join together, making a sound that is quite wonderful.  It really has to be experienced to fully understand!  The only thing we can do to improve it is to share it with others.

We have been invited to sing at the Guthrie on November 15th, 6:30-7:30 for the opening night performance of 'A Christmas Carol'. It's an incredibly fun evening and one you will want to experience.  Make sure to mark your calendars now.

Join us this week, November 2nd at 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie.  You will be so very glad you did!

Schedule for 2024:

November 2, 9, 12 (concert at the Capri),15th (caroling at the Guthrie) 16, 23

December 7 (caroling at the Guthrie), 14 (caroling at Catholic Eldercare),  21

Bring a friend and come sing with us.  Share the fun!

Claudia

Oh, what a night!  If you were there, you know.  The amazing Steeles entertained us with 90 minutes of rollicking music. When we weren't singing along, we were clapping and tapping and smiling. 

We are so grateful for the people who spoke about each of the programs Be That Neighbor sponsors.  Thank you to Clement Wai from the Mill City Singers, to Mahad Ahmed from the Cedar Riverside Athletics and Enrichment, to Laurie TeBrake from Yoga in the Park, to Hodan Yusef from Groundwork, to Asher Bennett-Hays from the Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship program. Thank you to Mahamed Salad for his skillful work in social media.  Thank you to Jennifer Weismann, the genius behind helping us tell our story to more people.Thank you to Blossom Johnson for her mentoring for the Dream Team. Thank you to MacPhail Center for Music for generously donating the use of Antonello Hall and to the Guthrie Theater for donating the space for our Saturday rehearsals.

You create all this.  We open the doors, and you make it all happen.

Thank you for your attendance.  Thank you for your donations.  Thank you for liking us on Facebook.  Thank you for telling your friends and neighbors.

THIS is how community happens and we are so honored to be part of this wonderful community.  We truly are stronger togehter.

We are having the best time!  Learning new music and singing songs we know, while we laugh together and make wonderful music. The magic that happens every week is that all these rather ordinary voices join together, making a sound that is quite wonderful.  It really has to be experienced to fully understand!

Join us this week, October 26th at 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie.  You will be so very glad you did!

Schedule for 2024:

October 26

November 2, 9, 12 (concert at the Capri), 16, 23

December 7 (caroling at the Guthrie), 14 (caroling at Catholic Eldercare),  21

Good morning!  Be That Neighbor needs your help.

Please tell your neighbors, your family, and your friends to watch me on Tuesday, October 22nd, at 4:00 on WCCO TV.  I will be interviewed by Erin Hassanzadeh on her program, WCCO The 4.  I will be talking about Be That Neighbor and the Benefit Concert on Thursday.

All of the money from tickets sales and donations will go directly to programs we sponsor and is tax deductible.  We want to make this the best concert ever with the joyful and incredible Steeles.  Tickets can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/383kmtsh.

Watch me on TV and join us at the concert.  I guarantee a great time!!

Good morning to all!

We are so excited to have the Steeles in our neighborhood for a once a year concert!  It is a unique and rare opportunity to hear this incredible group at the MacPhail Center for Music on October 24th at 7:00. We will begin the evening by introducing representatives from the Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship program, from Groundwork, from Yoga in the Park, from Hope 612, and from the Mill City Singers.

How does Be That Neighbor do all of this?  Our charity's budget comes from our donors.  95% of the money needed for these programs comes from individual donors.  How amazing is that?  We know how blessed we are by each and every one of you and are so very grateful.

Please get your tickets now by going to https://tinyurl.com/383kmtsh.  Tickets are tax deductible!  It will be an evening of music, of laughter, and of community in the gorgeous Antonello Hall.  It would be difficult to imagine a better evening.

While you are waiting for the concert, join us for rehearsal for the Mill City Singers on October 19th on the 8th floor of the Guthrie, 2:00-3:30. You can come and sing with a really fun community of singers and get a prequel to the concert with JD and Fred leading us and singing together. How could you lose?

See you very soon!

Claudia

Good morning, friends and neighbors!  The Mill City Singers began the 2024-25 season with our first rehearsal last week.  It was wonderful to see all our friends and to meet many new friends.  We learned some new music and sang a few songs we know.  There was laughing, hugging, SO much smiling, and the chance to make wonderful music together.  Join us this week, October 12th at 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie.  You will be so very glad you did!

Our benefit concert with the Steeles is fast approaching and is on October 24 at 7:00 at MacPhail Center for Music.  Don't wait until the last minute to buy your tickets! This year we will have participants from GroundWorks, Yoga in the Park, Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship, the Mill City Singers, and Hope 612 in attendance and a representative from each will say a few words. These are vital programs for our community and we are so grateful for all you to do help us keep these programs going.  Attending the benefit will make sure the work we do continues.  Buy your tickets right now at https://tinyurl.com/383kmtsh.  Don't forget, the tickets are tax deductible!!

Thank you for all you do!

Good morning, friends and neighbors.  It's a wonderful morning and Be That Neighbor has exciting events ahead, as we celebrate our 9th anniversary as a charity.  We are so very grateful to each and every one of you for supporting our work. 95% of our donations come from individual donors and we are endlessly thankful to each one of you.

Please take out your calendars and make notes so you won't miss anything.
1.  The Mill City Singers begins our new season on Saturday, October 5th, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie.  All you need to do is come!! There are no fees for singers and no auditions. We sing songs of joy and optimism and leave feeling better than we did when we came!
2.  Buy your tickets for our benefit concert on October 24 at 7:00 at Antonello Hall at https://tinyurl.com/383kmtsh.  It's an incredible bargain.  Buy a ticket (tax deductible) and hear one of the most exciting groups performing today, The Steeles.  That ticket will enable Be That Neighbor to continue our work.  We can't do it without you!
3.  Spread the word to your friends and neighbors and make sure they come with you. You can promise them an evening of pure fun with an incredible community.  Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.  When you follow up, all the people that follow you see our information.  Kinda cool, huh!


We are who we are because of you!

Good morning, friends and neighbors.  We are getting very close to starting a new season for the Mill City Singers.  This will be our 9th season together! Our rehearsals begin on October 5th, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie.  We have an exciting season planned and hope you can be part of it.

All you need to do is come!  No auditions and no fees.  Be That Neighbor raises the money needed to pay for all of our programs so that they are free to participants.

Once a year we hold a Benefit Concert to help raise the money we need for our programs.  We would love to have you join us on October 24th at 7:00 at the MacPhail Center for Music.  The concert will feature The Steeles and I promise you an incredible night!  Buy your tickets right now at https://tinyurl.com/383kmtsh.  Bring a neighbor, in fact, bring several!  Tickets are tax deductible!

Join us for a fabulous night of music and help Be That Neighbor do the work we do in building community through the arts.  We can't do it without you!

YOU make us stronger.

Thank you--Claudia

Good morning, friends and neighbors.  It's an exciting time of year for Be That Neighbor and we want to share our news.

Be That Neighbor will be celebrating our 9th anniversary of our founding soon and we are so grateful to all of you for making this happen.  Donations make up 94% of our budget and we are so very grateful.  Without you, we can't do what we do!

https://www.facebook.com/BeThatNeighbor to check out all of our events.  The schedule for the Mill City Singers is as follows:

October 5, 12, 19, 26
November 2, 9, 16, 23
December 7, 14, 21
February 1, 8, 15, 22
March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
April 5, 12, 26
May 3, 10, 17
June 7, 14, 21, 28
July 12

Please take a few minutes and buy your tickets for the concert and then mark your calendar for our rehearsals.  There are many more exciting things coming.

Thank you for everything you are doing to make this the glorious community it is.

Claudia

Good morning, Neighbors!

Be That Neighbor is thrilled to announce The Steeles in concert on October 24th at 7:00 pm at the MacPhail Center for Music. It will be an incredible night of toe tapping music, community, and laughter. AND the tickets are tax deductible. We expect a sell out, so grab your tickets now!

Bring your friends, your family, your neighbors and get your tickets before they are gone.  Go to https://tinyurl.com/383kmtsh and buy your tickets now.

All proceeds go directly to programs created and managed by Be That Neighbor.  They include Hope 612, the Mill City Singers, the Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship, Yoga in the Park, and Groundworks.

Join us!

Claudia