Voices Carry

Voices Carry was a fundraiser in support of sexual abuse survivors. It was put on to coincide on the same night as Bill Cosby’s performance at the Centre in the Square here in Kitchener. My friends Melanie Baker and Mike Farwell were the driving force behind it all. Incredibly, the whole production was put together in a mere six weeks. Tickets were $20, and if you had tickets to Cosby’s performance, you could use them for admission, too. It was freaking cold out (something like -30) but that clearly didn’t stop people from coming out.

There was over three hours of entertainment, including music from .:tala:., Loretta Fullerton, Lynn Jackson, Sue Windover, Sandy MacDonald, Al Parrish, and Johanna Pavia and Soul Drive. Others, including former Waterloo mayor Brenda Halloran, Sara Casselman of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, and Meaghan Coneybeare, who recently initiated a fundraiser against human trafficking, all spoke of their efforts and experiences in the fight against sexual assault.

The doors opened at six and there wasn’t really a dull moment all night. We were shoulder-to-shoulder in most spots, so it’s safe to say that attendance didn’t suffer one bit. All the food—and it was good food—was crazily donated and from what I understand there was more than a little left over at the end. It makes me wish I stayed a tiny bit longer to grab some extra chicken wings.

In the end, over $10,000 was raised (!!) which was more than double what they thought they might bring in. Successful show? I think so.