The Lovely and Talented Miss Vee!
January 28, 2009
I want to get the word out about something special happnening in chapel at the 9:00 am service on Sunday, February 15 at my home church,
First United Methodist Church, 1201 La Vaca, Austin, TX 78701.
During the recent Christmas Eve Brunch for the Homeless, I met a wonderful woman named Miss Vee (Verlina Hutchins), who I invited to come up
and play the piano. Well, needless to say, she was WONDERFUL! I asked for her contact info and then asked our pastors if they didn't think we could
hire Miss Vee to come to chapel and play the piano for EVERYONE in chapel, and we could give her the offering for that day.
So, I'm pleased to let you know Kathleen, one of the ministers here, has made this happen! So, please come out and:
1) celebrate a new friend in our community who will be visiting and sharing her gifts with our congregation
2) come to meet a person you might not normally meet, one of God's blessed children....
Maybe you are someone who is frightened or unsure of how to get to know folks who are enduring hard times, so I was
thinking how to engage our church with all kinds of people so we can extend God's love and develop relationships
with those we might not otherwise get to know. I think it will help us to recognize those that need our love and help us to be
the hands of Christ, even when we are shy/uncertain on how to be those hands.
I hope you'll come out and celebrate Miss Vee, spend a little time with her, and build a new relationship, even if just for the morning.
I won't be able to attend because I'll be up in Dallas, but I wanted to give you a heads up in case you can attend.
Love,
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:31 pm
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Arts Action Alert
January 27, 2009
the info at the bottom and write to your own officials and ask for support, too....every bit counts!
Thank you!
Sara
Sara Hickman/Artist, Musician, Mom
3005 S. lamar D-109 #412
Austin, TX 78704
January 27, 2009
The Honorable Lloyd Doggett
House of Representatives
201 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4325
Re: Please Help Arts in the National Economic Recovery Plan
Dear Representative Doggett:
As Congress considers the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, I hope they will include the arts and culture
sector. It is thoughtful economic policy to invest in our nation's arts infrastructure.
As an artist, musician, and mother of two, I urge you to read on and consider my request.
Please help provide a $50 million investment to the National Endowment for the Arts which will provide critical funding
to save 14,422 jobs from being lost in the U.S. economy. This is based on the ability of the NEA to leverage $7 in additional
support through local, state and private donations, for every $1 in NEA support.
Arts organizations employ performers and curators, but also employ accountants, designers, plumbers, union workers and
engineers. In fact, there are more full-time jobs supported by the nonprofit arts than are in accounting, public safety officers,
even lawyers and just slightly fewer than elementary school teachers.
There are approximately 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations, which spend $63.1 billion annually. Without an economic
stimulus for the nonprofit arts industry, experts expect about 10% of these organizations (ranging from large arts
institutions like museums and orchestras to small community-based organizations in suburban, urban and rural areas)
to shut their doors in 2009 - a loss of 260,000 jobs.
I'm sure you are going to receive a lot of these letters, with even more information, but I wanted to personalize this letter and tell you how
much arts funding affects my livelihood, and without crucial funding and support, I lose seasonal jobs, as do many of my friends who are
dancers, musicians, visual artists, poets and writers.
The economy is so strained already, but by keeping the arts vital, and providing ongoing funding, the economy is
strengthened within communities. People need the arts, not only for jobs, but for relief from stress, as a reminder
of how important, and crucial it is, to be engaged in the creative spirit, muse and wonder.
Thank you for supporting America and her arts communities.
Gratefully,
Sara Hickman/Artist, Musician, Mom/Austin, TX
January 27, 2009
The legislative action surrounding jobs funding for the arts in the Economic Recovery Package in Congress
is picking up speed, and we need you to take action! Americans for the Arts has been working with Congressional
leaders to build support for this emergency funding for local and state arts organizations to prevent job losses during this recession.
House
As you recall, last week the House Appropriations Committee approved a plan that included $50 million in supplemental
grants funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, and a number of other provisions that can benefit the arts.
Starting tonight, and continuing tomorrow, the House will be considering the recovery legislation on the floor, and a
number of votes are expected.
Senate
The Senate will be starting their debate on the bill on Friday and continuing through next week. While the Senate Appropriations
Committee did not include an arts jobs funding provision in their version of the bill, advocates still have several opportunities
over the next few days to change the final outcome. Amendments could be made to the Senate bill or the House arts funding
provision itself could prevail in the final House/Senate conference bill.
Please take two minutes to take action and ask your Member of Congress and Senators to support the arts in this legislation.
Americans for the Arts has supplied you with fresh research and key quotes that support this funding -- your help in
communicating this information to your Member of Congress is critical.
Thank you for your support of the arts!
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:51 pm
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My friend, Mike
years back that I was very, very honored to be a part of...and, most of all, I was honored to get to spend
more time with the author, Mike Blair, who drove around Texas with his wife, Ginger, in their RV, meeting
and interviewing people of different faiths. Through my interview process with Mike, we became even closer
and I now love Mike like a brother. We've shared a lot about what spirit means with one another, and through
Mike I've met many people from the book I, most likely, would have never met.
When I first met Mike, it was when he was producing spots for Wal-Mart, and at the time, Lily was still in
a baby carrier! Mike would let me bring Lily into the vocal booth with me, and she was always a trooper---never
cried or sniffed or yawned during a take---so, in many ways, those days of my singing "...at Wal-Mart, there's a
smile on every aisle!" have just as much of Mike and Lily in them as myself. Little did I know back then that
this producer (who seemed rather serious at the time) would later down the road become a mentor, friend
and counselor for life.
So, one of the great things about Mike is his quiet, enormous heart. Following is an email he sent out this
morning. If any of you feel so compelled, please support Isaura. I know you will be as moved as I was
to read about her story.
Thank you!
Love,
Sara
Dear Friends,
I'd like to take a moment to tell you about a young lady Ginger and I have come to know over the past four years. When I was working on "Amazing Faith" I interviewed four kids at San Juan Diego High School here in Austin. SJD is a private school for low-income children (mostly funded by donors and the Catholic Dioscese). As I interviewed these kids I was especially taken by one tiny hispanic girl. She was shy, but she was engaged and just seemed strong and fragile at the same time. After the interview I asked the teacher about the girl. She said her name was Isaura Martinez. She was 14 and a freshman at the time. She said that Isaura lived in a one bed-room apartment on the east side with her mother, three sisters and two cousins. She said that when Isaura was 12 she read about San Juan Diego HS and told her mother she wanted to go there. Her mother told her to forget it because they couldn't afford the tuition (tuition is based on income). Isaura got on a bus and went to the school and interviewed for a scholarship and convinced the board to accept her even though her mother couldn't afford to pay anything. For four years Isaura has gotten up at 5 in the morning and ridden three buses to get to this school and three buses home. Today, Isaura is a senior and will graduate this year. She has been accepted thus far to four colleges but because of the economy, scholarships are very hard to come by.
Ginger and I are committed to helping her realize her dream (she wants to be the first Hispanic President by-the-way) but we are in no position to do a whole lot for her. So..........I am boldly coming forward to ask if anyone would like to contribute anything to a scholarship fund for Isaura (no matter how small). If you can find it in your heart and your pocketbook, I would be eternally grateful.
Blessings,
Mike
HI! It's me, Sara, again...If you are interested in supporting Isaura, please mail a check made out to the:
Isaura Martinez Scholarship Fund
and mail to me at:
Sara Hickman
3005 S. Lamar D-109, #412,
Austin, TX 78704
Bless you, thank you.
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:24 am
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Hill Country Ride for AIDS Kick Off
January 26, 2009
Photos ©2009, Scott Van Osdol, http://www.vanosdol.com
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:42 pm
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My heart hears the world
January 25, 2009
together on stage again. I hope they consider performing together as Two Nice Girls. Wherever. Even if just once more.
They blend so beautifully together. Leaves of a tree, blowing on a spring breeze. Just perfect. Plus, Gretchen's hair may
get even taller. I think I could climb it to the rafters, now.
I got up and sang with Mady Kaye, first. That was sweet. She has a touching song she wrote about her mother's house
in honor of her father's birthday! And, then, I got up to sing with Two Nice Girls on a song Gretchen and I had written
in high school called, "My Heart Crawls Off and Dies".
Then, Paul Pearcy came out and played udoo (I know I'm not spelling that right, I'm certain) while I sang "Comfort's Sigh."
I ended my little set with having everyone sing "I wish you well". I wanted everyone up and around the stage, a tight family,
no strangers. Just love on behalf of Laurie.
I saw my dear friend, Nina. We danced together on the dance floor, two happy women, caressing and smiling and
doing a jig together. When you hear that phrase, "I delight in you!" that is how I feel about Nina. She is smart,
she is present, she is compassionate, but she won't except no bull.
I had to park about four blocks away, and the wind tried to whip through my heavy coat, down past my pashmina
that Brian sent me so many years back. But I was humming with happiness, walking to the car. There was a fountain,
making music, water lit from underneath, the sky so black above! I felt like I was in the palm of Austin.
I felt like good things happened tonight.
This afternoon, I spent several hours with iolana and her friend Sora, and Sora's mom, Lori, selling Girl Scout Cookies
at the Alamo Drafthouse south. It's funny, when you stay in one place, one hometown, for a long time how you can go anywhere in
town and you see people you know. And it's always the most wonderful combination of surprises....many times people
I have just thougth of, for no apparent rhyme or reason, they just pop into your mind...and then, shamwow! There
they are, in front of you on the street, or walking out of the cinema, or at a benefit concert, and you can hug them
and laugh out loud together. And isn't that how life should be, all the time? Just revelling in the beauty of surprise,
grabbing one another in bear hugs, asking "What's up!? How ARE you? Tell me everything!" and just smiling like
a bunch of fools because you are glad to be alive, glad to see others living, waltzing, wondering.
I wish this love so much.
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:54 pm
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