From July 19- August 13, 2021, we are participating in the Gannett Foundation A Community Thrives fundraising challenge which pairs a community crowdfunding campaign with local and national grants from the Gannett Foundation and their local newspapers.
To be eligible for the substantial grant for which we have applied, which will create professional recordings of our Forgotten Voices song cycle featuring texts from our homeless singers, videos of the Street Choir in performance, and our “A Springfield Christmas” TV specials, Springfield Chamber Chorus/Springfield Street Choir must raise at least $3000 through the MightyCause platform in that time frame. We are also eligible for potential bonus grants for having a large number of unique donors, so even if only a few dollars are in your budget, we would be truly grateful for a donation of any size.
The performances we intend to film are about creating opportunities for connection and inclusion, with an emphasis on amplifying the voices of people at the margins. We also aim to record and release streaming video of the Street Choir in performance, because seeing homeless people (who are so frequently dehumanized) engage in the profoundly-human practice of singing has the potential to change hearts and minds around this issue, and in turn change policy and real outcomes.
Make A Recurring Donation
The only way we are able to create an experience like the Street Choir for our unhoused neighbors is through the generosity of people like you. When we are rehearsing regularly (which we do 52 weeks per year except when COVID prevents us from rehearsing safely), it costs us about $20/singer to rehearse on a monthly basis, which covers paying incentives to our singers, hiring an accompanist, and other incidental costs. That does not account for the costs of hiring buses for concerts, or other occasional expenses.
When the pandemic has prevented us from rehearsing, we have used our donations to contribute to funerals for unsheltered members of our community, support The Connecting Grounds community outreach, purchase gift cards for vaccine incentives, and other vital and direct means of support to our unsheltered community.
Please consider sponsoring the Street Choir with a recurring monthly donation in the amount that works for you. Monthly donations are great for your budget and for ours, because they allow us to plan ahead. Even $5 a month makes a huge difference! Or sponsor a singer at $20 a month. Every dollar helps!
Or, if you would prefer to support the Street Choir with a one-time donation, we would be thrilled to put your donation to good use immediately.
Other ways to help
IN-KIND CORPORATE PARTNERS
We are looking to for in-kind partners to help us as we interact with the community. Specifically we are seeking:
– a t-shirt printer to donate shirts for our members
– a transportation company or church to provide buses for us as we perform around Springfield
– restaurants to provide meals before performances
AND/OR
– corporate financial sponsorships of any of the above
DONATE
Our singers and their friends rely on the outreach at The Connecting Grounds for many of their physical needs. They need:
– easy-to-open (pop-top) canned meals like canned pasta, vienna sausage, soups, etc
– packaged snacks like crackers and cookies
– jeans, particularly in small men’s sizes
– hoodies, coats and other winter gear
– blankets
– tarps
– tents
– backpacks
– hand-warmers (Hot-Hands)
The Springfield Street Choir is a project of Springfield Chamber Chorus, a 501(c)3 organization.