From Tom Scharf, executive director
YOUR CONTRIBUTION HELPS BRING THE LIVE MUSIC AND THE MUSIC
EDUCATION YOU LOVE
Hello my Friends,
It’s been an exciting new beginning at
Swallow Hill. I’ve been impressed, but not surprised, by the
Swallow Hill Community in my first few months here. The 2007
Swallow Hill Folk Festival was a great success due to the efforts
of our dedicated volunteers, our superb community of musicians,
our dedicated staff and the supportive audiences. Thanks to all.
There are many details that require my
attention as I begin on my path as executive director. One of the
most important priorities I have is creating an environment at
Swallow Hill that delivers a superior customer experience for all.
Patience is my greatest challenge as I want to achieve the goal by
leaps rather than the requisite steps.
You may have noticed some changes in the
past few months. Many rooms are getting new lighting, fresh paint
and updated décor thanks to the efforts of our fantastic board of
directors, hardworking volunteers (read about volunteer Ken Waag
in our newsletter) and our staff. We hope that the improvements
make you want to linger here a bit longer and feel more welcome.
I would like to give special recognition
to the teachers in our school, many who have been teaching here
for decades! Swallow Hill owes a good deal of its success to their
talents – as teachers, performers, marketers and outreach teams.
They help make us who we are. Thank a teacher next time you see
one.
In addition, I’d like to acknowledge a
number of people who just became “Friends
of Swallow Hill.” Our “Friends” are a small group of dedicated
individuals who have joined Swallow Hill at our newest membership
levels ($1,000 and above). We thank them sincerely for investing
in our vision and our mission. In September, we also recognized
our first “Friends of the Year” – Ron and Kathy Schumacher. We
love you.
Please put a couple of important things
on your to-do list. The first is to attend our second annual
Swallow Hill Folk and Roots Festival to be held at the Ellie
Caulkins Opera House on Friday, March 28, 2008 (it was listed as
Saturday, March 29 ... our apologies for the inconvenience). The
festival will feature headliners Bruce Cockburn and Nanci Griffith
along with showcases from other fantastic local and regional
artists.
The second “to-do” is to make a
commitment to our end of the year
Annual Giving Campaign. As a
non-profit that receives nearly a third of its income from
contributions, grants and memberships, it’s very important that we
grow our contributions to continue to deliver the best programming
in folk, roots and acoustic music. Please do what you can to help.
Click here to
contribute!
I find myself in a perpetual state of
thanksgiving. I want to gush with thanks to our members, grant
makers, donors, volunteers, staff, teachers and board. Without
them, there wouldn’t be a Swallow Hill. And while I am very
thankful, I am also mindful of our ongoing need to grow our
support in all these areas. We are particularly in need of growing
and strengthening our volunteer efforts and our donor and
membership base. Please call me anytime if you can lend a hand. I
know you’ll find that your investment of time or resources will
pay great dividends for you – and for Swallow Hill as it fulfills
its mission.
In the meantime, we will continue to make
Swallow Hill the absolute coolest place in the country to hang out
and enjoy this unique space of the musical spectrum.
Many thanks,
Tom Scharf |
