It was another packed house for the Hearth as over 150 people gathered to hear “True Tales from Childhood.” The evening began with eight year old Miya and her father Mark playing We are Going to Be Friends by the White Stripes. Then Becky Sherman took the microphone and told a wild tale of driving trucks, facing bears, and running with pistols as a young child in the back country of Alaska. Becky was followed by Skip Andrews who shared a heartbreaking tale of a fire that scarred his sister’s body as well as Skip’s sense of self. Our third teller was international fiddler and piper (also marriage and family therapist) Kevin Carr who told a hilarious tale of cowboys, snakes, horses, and imagination, as he grew up the eldest son of a hollywood writer. Kevin ended his tale with a Dave Macon song about parenting. After intermission fifteen year old Isabel Whitcomb, backed by her father Duane on violin and Wendi Stanek on guitar, sang Wide Open Spaces by the Dixie Chicks.
The second half of the show began with Butte Falls community activist, Joyce Hailicka who told a painful story of being orphaned in 1950’s Chicago. Mark Yaconelli went next with a tale of his son Joseph who founded “Slow Club” at the age of four. The final story of the night was Jennifer Margulis who told a poignant tale of love-sick girl who stole a kitten. Wendi Stanek then ended the evening with a beautiful rendition of Priscilla Ahn’s “Dream.”
All proceeds from the evening were given to the Afghan Child Project which seeks to make friends with the Afghan people through acts of kindness. We raised $863 for the project which will be spent on solar power lighting for a medical center. If you’d like to donate to the Afghan Child Project go here.
Will Sherman, one of the founders and directors of the project has the following thank you to donors:
“Thank you for helping improve the lives of children and women in Afghanistan. ACP volunteers cover all of ACP’s operating expenses, thus 100% of your donation will go to our ongoing projects. More than just helping Afghans have a better life and future, we hope that your act of kindness will have a significant impact on ending the war here and reducing the suffering and violence.”
To read more about the project check out the Medford Mail Tribune’s article on Will Sherman and the project here.
Our next storytelling event will take place in October. The theme will be Changed: True Tales of Transformation. See you then.
