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Tuesday, November 12, 2024
HomeCommunityNorth Shore Area Partners Offers Community Sing-Along and Social Connections

North Shore Area Partners Offers Community Sing-Along and Social Connections

When North Shore Area Partners (NSAP), a nonprofit organization located in Silver Bay, began think­ing about how to bring more inter­generational activities to the com­munity, Marcia Oates knew exactly what would be in her wheelhouse.

Marcia grew up in Silver Bay and, as she puts it, “went away to find my fortune.” After nearly for­ty years, she retired and returned home.

Her fortune came in the form of a nearly forty-year career as an el­ementary school music teacher. At her school’s concerts, parents knew they would be participating, wheth­er it was a sing-along or jingling car keys during “Jingle Bells.”

“Singing together is something that can bring a community togeth­er,” she said.

In an effort to unite multiple gen­erations within the community, Marcia and NSAP have organized a Community Sing-Along, sched­uled for November 14th from 2:00 – 3:30 PM at NSAP’s downtown location. Marcia will play the pia­no, and her friend Gene LaFond has volunteered to play the guitar.

They will perform Americana songs that most folks are familiar with, such as “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” and “Amaz­ing Grace,” as well as songs from musicals like “The Sound of Mu­sic.” Marcia mentioned she has about thirty songbooks and hopes that there will be so many attendees that some will have to share.

To those who claim they do not sing, Marcia often asks, “Do you sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to your granddaughter on her birthday? Then you sing.” She also noted that some, like me, sing in their vehicles. A community sing-along is an opportunity to enjoy singing together.

“People don’t gather in the same way they did years ago, and I think our community is just right for a rebirth of that,” she said, recount­ing how earlier generations would all sing together around a piano. “We’ve become a spectator culture. We watch people play sports. We watch people sing or listen to them sing. We’ve forgotten that it’s in all of us.”

There is no pressure to sing at the event; humming along, tapping your foot, or simply listening and enjoying the provided cider and doughnuts is encouraged.

“Hopefully it will be a really good chance for the community to get together and just get to know each other a bit,” Marcia said.

She feels now is the right time to organize the sing-along, saying, “I feel like this was the time to do it with the little undercurrent of ran­cor that seems to be around right now between people. Not just po­litically but other things. It seemed like this is a great way to bring peo­ple together.”

And it’s the right place to do it. Marcia described NSAP as “the hub of the community.” It’s part of why she loves volunteering there.

“It’s a one-stop shop for anything that seniors might need, and if they don’t have it yet, they’re going to find out how to do it. It’s such a ‘can do’ organization. I love be­ing surrounded by people who are making a difference with how peo­ple live their lives here,” she said.

NSAP’s volunteer coordinator, Stacey Hohman, called the organi­zation’s offerings a “gold mine.”

She added, “It’s definitely needed for this population. In Silver Bay, we have lots of older adults. There are lots of people who tell us dai­ly that they couldn’t live at home without us.”

Though the Community Sing- Along event does not need addi­tional volunteers, Stacey noted that the organization is in need of more volunteer drivers to help seniors get to medical appointments. As some of the current volunteer drivers are snowbirds, there is a need for a few more to help out.

Volunteer drivers are reimbursed for their mileage. Stacey mentioned the “busiest” volunteer would prob­ably do 3-4 rides a month. Some smaller rides might be needed to get community members to events held at NSAP.

One of those events is the popular Coffee Connection, which has ex­panded from twice a week to Mon­day through Thursday from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM. It’s another great way to get together and get to know others in the community.

“Even people who have lived here their whole life have made new connections here for coffee,” said Stacey.

For more information on the Community Sing-Along, Coffee Connections, or other services of­fered by NSAP, go to nsapartners.org or call 218-226-3635.

Marcia encourages everyone, young and old, to attend the Com­munity Sing-Along. “I can guar­antee whoever is there will have a good time,” she said. “It’s a party, you don’t have to bring anything, just bring yourself. Bring a friend!”

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