A Message from One of Our Members and Supporters

I’d like to introduce you to One Voice member Jessie.

Jessie hasn’t sung with the chorus the longest. She’s not our most affluent member or our highest-giving financial contributor. Like you, she’s just one person with limited time and treasure to share at a time when lots of worthy organizations are asking for both. But Jessie gives what she’s able because she understands the value One Voice brings to our city and to the LGBT community.

At a recent One Voice rehearsal, Jessie shared what the chorus means to her and why she sings with and supports the group.

“I think that people often fear what they do not understand, and that fear and ignorance stands in the way of the acceptance the LGBT community deserves.

I believe that the best way to combat this is by spreading understanding… by giving people a chance to know more about what they’re afraid of… by making a connection. One Voice does that by putting a face on the LGBT community in an accessible way, using the universal language of music.

Does this work? Yes!

How do I know? I have a friend who is in her senior years, very proper and devoutly religious. But because she likes me and she likes music (especially Christmas music) she’s been to several One Voice concerts. Through these concerts, the chorus has made a personal connection and become a presence in her world. As a direct result of that connection, over the years she’s said prayers not only for the chorus as a whole but also for individuals—including, most recently, that a couple in our group might successfully adopt a child and know the joys of having a family of their own.

Is she consciously thinking about church doctrine or political agendas when she does this? No. She is praying for people she now knows, however slightly, who’ve touched her life with their music. Yet the social change demonstrated by her support is powerful.

And that’s just one example of how this chorus makes a difference.”

One Voice works to increase inclusion and equality for the LGBT community. We do it by entertaining audiences at concerts that celebrate our lives and make connections. We do it by reaching out to mainstream audiences at public appearances. We also do it by providing music to support other important LGBT organizations and events—wherever we can add our voices to the call for social justice.

But we need your help to make it happen. Here’s why.

Even with the most fiscally conservative budget in place, we need to raise $75,000 or more each year to meet our basic needs, allowing us to pay for rehearsal space, music, accompanists, director salary, performance space, storage, equipment rentals, basic marketing materials, ASCAP fees and other requirements. While we’re able to raise nearly 50% of this through dues, ticket sales and grants, the other half comes from individual donors like you. That’s why your support, like Jessie’s, is so vital to our survival.

Jessie, who gives a little each month through the Encore program, explains it this way:

“I sing in, am an Encore donor, and support One Voice because every time we perform, support a cause or help another group, we promote change for the LGBT community. We give people a name, a face, a song… something they can understand, and a reason to forgo fear or anger in favor of acceptance and inclusion.”

Please join Jessie and One Voice in creating music that, in turn, creates change. Every gift matters… including yours.

 

Support One Voice Chorus One Voice is a non-profit organization that relies solely on donations, grants and ticket revenue to support the chorus. Through artistic excellence, One Voice Chorus works to increase understanding and acceptance of gay men, lesbians, and transgender persons. Our achievement in choral music enables us to reach diverse groups, to overcome misperceptions and to grow personally, both as performers and as leaders in our community. To learn how you can support us, click here