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 7th 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
