COVID-19 Update
A note from Rebecca Shasberger, Renovare’s Founder & Director
Hi friends,
What a strange time we're living in. As you can imagine, Renovare's activities have been profoundly disrupted by the coronavirus. We're not allowed to go into prisons, homeless shelters, senior centers, or hospitals. Schools shut their doors and transitioned to online learning. These realities, combined with bans on gatherings and 'stay at home' orders that don't count musicians as essential workers, made basically everything we used to do impossible. We're in the process of reimagining how to continue pursuing our mission in light of this radically changed landscape, even as we know that changes will continue for months yet to come.
In the last two months:
We've made changes to conserve financial resources.
We shared music with the staff at the Cosgrove Center via a CD for them to listen to as they prepare meals for people experiencing homelessness. (This was recorded and compiled while staying at home, of course.)
With the help of my Oberlin Conservatory students, I compiled substantive packets to aid men at the Grafton Correctional Institute in their musical learning this summer.
We've played over the phone and on Zoom for people quarantined in senior centers and rehab facilities.
With the weather finally warming up in Cleveland, we had our first trial run of an outdoor performance last weekend. We're hopeful that more outdoor performances can safely be planned in the coming months!
Loving Our Neighbors
While there are many things we can't do right now, there are still some ways we can love the people in our city. You can join us in one of these efforts!
Our contact at the Northeast Reintegration Center (NERC) in downtown Cleveland has identified a need for donations of puzzles, board games, and DVDs to help the women keep their spirits up and pass the time while the prison is in quarantine.
Send us an email for collection details if you would like to donate one of these items to our neighbors at NERC! Some things to keep in mind as you're gathering your donation:
Please avoid games that include dice or gambling.
Please avoid movies that include a prison break.
They enjoy yoga/exercise DVDs in addition to feature films.
We have collection locations in Lyndhurst and Shaker Heights. If you have a sizable donation but aren't able to drop it off, we may be able to pick it up from you.
I'm personally grateful for the Renovare Community, and especially to those of you who have reached out to see how things are going these past two months.
If there are ways that we can help or pray for you in this time, please send us a note. We would love to hear from you and encourage you as we're able!
In the meantime, we hope you'll enjoy this arrangement of Jean Sibelius's Finlandia (also known as the hymn 'Be Still My Soul') that was part of our CD for the staff at the Cosgrove Center. (Video will open in a new browser window).
Grateful for your partnership,
Rebecca