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A letter from
Co-founder/President Christine Albert
Dear friends,
I hope this finds you warm
and dry on a cold, December night. Finally, Austin
has been receiving much needed moisture and cold weather
has followed on its heels.
The year ends with some
exciting new beginnings for Swan Songs. The October fundraiser
with Jerry Jeff Walker was a resounding success; thank you to everyone who
attended the event, donated in honor of it, contributed to
the silent auction or just expressed their support in the
last few months. And special thanks to Jerry Jeff
Walker. You helped Swan Songs turn a corner and get out there
in the community in a big way.
I am up to my crown chakra (that's above the eyeballs) in
commitment these days and it is time for me to place the
Swan Songs reins in very capable hands. Our newest board
member, Craig Calvert, will be stepping in as
Executive Director; Donna Belk will also continue to
be our day to day Director of Programs and take over more of
the administrative tasks. I appreciate their
willingness to roll up their sleeves and allow me to return
to my life as a songwriter, performer, Vice Chair of The
Recording Academy, co-owner of a studio, booking agent,
mother, grandmother...you get the picture. I will
still be very involved with Swan Songs and together with
Craig, Donna and a very engaged board, we plan to bring
music to more and more Texans in the last
days of their life. It is a privilege to be a part of.
Best wishes in the New Year,
Christine
End of Year Giving
As 2011 draws to a close
and you consider your end of the year gifts, please keep
Swan Songs in mind. The music lovers who long to
hear their favorite music one last time as their life draws
to a close appreciate your generosity - past, present and
future. Gifts can also be made in honor or memory of a
loved one. The entire board of directors of Swan Songs
thanks you for your support.
To donate online via
PayPal:
Checks may be mailed
and made payable to:
Swan Songs
PO Box 41021
Austin, Texas 78704
"An Evening of Story
and Song with Jerry Jeff Walker"...a recap!
On October 19, 2011 the legendary Jerry
Jeff Walker took the stage and gave his all for 90
minutes, charming the very fortunate Swan Songs
supporters who filled every seat in the house. It
was truly an "Austincentric" night. Gibson Guitars
lined the walls of the beautiful space they generously
donated; superb appetizers by
Ventana del Soul
and amazing pies by
Texas Pie
Kitchen blew everyone away (two non-profits that
provide vocational training to disadvantaged persons);
spirits from Driftwood's
Duchman Family
Winery, Tito's
Handmade Vodka and
Shiner Bock flowed and the silent auction was filled
with a range of items from getaways at the hip Austin
Motel on South Congress to the posh Four Seasons
downtown. The event raised over $18,000, which
will help us fulfill many more musical last wishes and
spread the word about Swan Songs far and wide.
Thank you one and all.
To see more photos of the event (taken by
Carrell Grigsby and Slim Zimmermann) go to the
Jerry Jeff event page.
"Texas Music Matters" on KUT
On October 17th, leading up to our event
with Jerry Jeff Walker, KUT 90.5 FM reporter Haley Howle
produced a feature story on Swan Songs for the "Texas
Music Matters" program. Singer/songwriter
Eliza Gilkyson
eloquently described her experience as a Swan Songs
artist sharing her music, by request, with a very
grateful Eliza fan nearing the end of his life.
His wife, Dru Brown, reflected on what the concert meant
to their entire family and Swan Songs co-founder and
president, Christine Albert, was on hand to offer a
history of Swan Songs, how it came to be and how it
works. Many thanks to Haley and everyone at KUT
for this very soulful story and for helping us spread
the word.
Listen to it here...
photos by
Carrell Gigsby
Swan Songs welcomes new Executive Director
Craig Calvert is a singer/songwriter/musician who has lived in Austin for 30
years and is the leader/manager for the duo
“Murphy’s Inlaws”
and the band “Hotcakes.” A longtime supporter of Swan Songs
with a strong business sensibility, as well as extensive
experience organizing and stage managing fundraising events
for non-profits and musicians in need, we are excited to
enter into a six month contract with Craig to put his
formidable gifts to work for Swan Songs. With deep
roots in the community, a calm presence, a professional
demeanor and a musician's heart and soul, we think he is the
perfect person at this point in time to represent Swan Songs
and expand our horizons with his vision. In six months
we may have converted him to the non-profit way of life, or
perhaps he'll lead us to someone new and return to his music
full time. Either way, we are grateful to have him.
Craig and Marji Calvert
Donna Belk - Director of
Programs and Office Manager
Donna Belk has worked
with Swan Songs for several years as Director of Programs -
organizing concerts and interacting with the
families and hospice professionals. She is deeply
committed to end of life issues, both as a hospice volunteer
and end of life coach and home funeral guide. She is
now stepping into the role of office manager for Swan Songs,
handling even more of the data management and tracking of
concerts, outreach tasks, etc. Thank you, Donna.
Donna Belk - up front in
gray with the Swan Songs board behind her all the way!
(l to r) Craig Deats, Craig Calvert, Jeanne Carpenter, Susan
Kolliopoulos, Tim Dziuk, Christine Albert
A Swan Songs Moment
Every Swan Songs concert is
as unique as the individual who requested it. In each
newsletter we tell one story that illustrates what Swan Songs is all about
more clearly than any mission statement ever could.
photo by
Carrell Grigsby
Claudia Flores and her family
were kind enough to allow Jim Swift with KXAN TV to film her
Swan Songs concert with
Susan Lincoln and
Hilde Girls.
We were told that Claudia enjoyed women's voices and
eclectic world music, so three Hilde Girls serenaded her
with music from across continents, centuries, styles and
cultures. One of them even returned as part of
Claudia's volunteer hospice team, becoming even more deeply
involved in her life and ultimately her memorial service.
The joy in this picture is what comes to mind whenever
people say "isn't it depressing to attend these concerts?"
On the contrary, obviously....
View Jim Swift's entire story here...
See more photos of Swan Songs concerts at our
photo
gallery
How to Help Swan
Songs
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Volunteer
Your Time Swan
Songs is currently looking for dedicated volunteers
to help with community outreach. Sign up now to
become part of our Swan Songs Street Team and
help us get the word out to nursing homes, hospices,
churches, doctors, etc.
If you are
interested, write to
donna@swansongs.org.
We're also always eager to add to our list of willing
musicians.
Learn more
about performing... |
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Make A
Gift By Mail
Donations can be made by sending a check or
money order payable to “Swan Songs” to:
Christine Albert/Swan Songs
PO Box 41021
Austin, Texas 78704 |
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Donate
Online
You may donate to Swan Songs via PayPal, using a
credit or debit card. Click the Donate
button and you will
be directed to a secure location to make your
online donation. |
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Randalls Good Neighbor Program
Swan Songs is a
partner in the
Randalls Good Neighbor Program. For every
dollar you spend at Randalls grocery stores,
they will donate 1% to Swan Songs. All you have
to do is take your Randalls card to the customer
service window and ask to add Swan Songs as a
recipient organization to your card.
Our number is #11463
It is very important to take that with you when you
sign up. Every time you shop, you’ll be
supporting the Swan Songs mission. |
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What if Swan Songs earned a penny
every time you searched the Internet? Or how
about if a percentage of every purchase you made
online went to support our cause? Well, now it
can! GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered
search engine that donates half its advertising
revenue, about a penny per search, to the
charities you designate. The more people use GoodSearch on behalf of
Swan Songs, the more money it will raise! So
please spread the word to your friends and
family. Visit their web site at
goodsearch.com. |
If this newsletter
was forwarded to you and you would like to be added
to our mailing list for future updates, please email
info@swansongs.org
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may unsubscribe here.
© 2005 Christine Albert's
Swan Songs Inc. All rights reserved.
Swan Songs logo
©1999 Maggie
Macnab |
