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

Neighbors!

There is one more yoga session in Gold Medal Park for 2024.  Please join us on Saturday, August 31 at 9 a.m.  Bring a mat, bring water, and enjoy a wonderful practice in this gorgeous setting.

Stay tuned for announcements about programming for the rest of 2024.  Watch for our email and newsletter next week.

Thank you for all you do to make this community so wonderful.

Good morning friends and neighbors! As summer enters its last days, please remember that we have 2 more sessions of Yoga in Gold Medal Park. Saturday's forecast is for temperatures in the low 80s with little chance of rain. Please join us at 9 a.m. and bring your mat, water, and a neighbor! We only have 2 more sessions for the summer of 2024 and hope you will join us!

It's been a wonderful summer for Be That Neighbor with so many successful events, from the aerialists to Open Eye puppet theater to the Enso Daiko drums to many young scholarship singers. Stay tuned for the announcement of our fall programs which will include an exciting Benefit Concert, the schedule for the Mill City Singers, and an update on Hope 612, the theater program for our young people.

We are proud of our community and of the work we do to help support that community through programming. We are so very grateful to each of you for everything you do to be part of this vibrant community of friends and neighbors.

See you on Saturday---Claudia

Good morning, all! We have another wonderful weekend in Gold Medal Park.

Yoga begins at 9 a.m. There are only 3 more yoga classes, so mark your calendars and join us by the letters in the park. You will be so glad you did.

At 1:00, Kayla Rogness, Sallie Steele Birdsong scholarship recipient will be singing. She is an incredibly talented young woman and her music will be so much fun.

Coach Jennifer Weber and her group of athletes from Cedar Riverside will be setting up games and passing out free ice cream. What a wonderful afternoon!

Join us!!

Good morning, friends and neighbors. Thank you to all of you that were able to come to Gold Medal Park for the aerialist show and Enso Taiko. Two wonderful programs in a park with so many community members! Thank you, thank you!!

It's difficult to believe that there are only 4 more yoga sessions this summer. Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 10, 17, 25, and 31 at 9 a.m. for Yoga in the Park. Bring a mat and water and a neighbor! The practice lasts approximately 1 hour and, in our gorgeous park, it is a wonderful experience.

On Saturday, August 17th, we will be hosting an afternoon of games and ice cream! The young people from the Cedar Riverside Athletic and Enrichment programs will be leading the games and helping make sure everyone gets ice cream! Join us!

Summer won't be here much longer. Take advantage of everything you can while we still have this beautiful season.

Stay tuned for more announcements about the return of the Mill City Singers on October 5th. We have a fabulous season planned and hope you will come and sing with us.

Thank you for all you do to build our wonderful community!

Claudia

We had such a good time! Thank you to everyone who came to share this amazing event.