The work of non-profits in the Capital Region can be unglamourous. But over the weekend, it was celebrated through song as part of an annual performance.
The Spa Little Theater is buzzing with excitement on this Saturday afternoon as storytellers, songwriters, and the leaders of regional nonprofits mingle waiting to sound check.
Caffè Lena Executive Director Sarah Craig says the move to the larger Spa Little Theater was inevitable with the growing popularity of TrueSongs.
“As soon as you come in the front doors of the venue, you’re going to see the set ups for each organization, staffed by people from that organization, volunteers or staff members. And you can pick up literature, you can ask questions, you can sign up for a mailing list, you can find out about a volunteer opportunity," said Craig.
The annual show began in 2019 as a way to highlight the work of local nonprofits. People who have benefitted from selected organizations are paired with songwriters and storytelling coaches through Caffè Lena, the longtime downtown folk institution.
Craig says seeing it all come together never gets old.
“It’s amazing to see everyone rolling in from all corners and to be meeting each other for the first time in a lot of cases. So, this year some of our songwriters are nationally touring artists from outside the region and they’ve been working with their storyteller on Zoom and now they’re meeting for the first time. And they’ve already shared, sort of, their most intimate work and artistic work and most tender life experiences. There’s lots of hugs and people hanging out on the couches together and it’s really beautiful to see,” said Craig.
It’s Troy Huggard’s and Ellis Paul’s first time hanging out face-to-face after spending hours on video calls preparing for tonight’s performance, and they’re comfortable now that they’re in person.
Huggard spent a decade in the Navy and left with severe PTSD. He says his time with Alliance 180 turned his life around.
“Found this program, it saved my life. It provides you an experience that just changes everything. And you know that was in 2012, 2013 when I was ready to take my life. All those years have gone by, I’ve graduated college with honors, I’ve met my best friend, my wife who I am so in love with. I’ve made the best friends I’ve ever made,” said Huggard.
Alliance 180 pairs people with horses to give them new perspectives on trauma and approaches to stress.
Paul says he let Huggard’s storytelling control the songwriting process.
“And I’m inspired, I mean the idea that interacting with an animal can trigger something in you internally that somehow can save your life is pretty amazing. And Troy’s story is very compelling and he’s a great storyteller so, I felt like I was just—as he was telling his story over the course of an hour I was literally just writing phrases that came from his mouth and was just incorporating it into music. And so I feel like it was a Lennon and McCartney thing,” said Paul.
Dan Irizarry is the founder of Capital District Latinos, one of six non-profits highlighted in this year’s event. Following the election and rise in anti-immigrant sentiments, Irizarry says it’s more important than ever to support organizations like his.
“We have been recently really effected by the influx of migrants in Latin America and in this current environment in which we are forced to live in it’s all the more important that people hear our story and the story of the people that we serve because the only thing that can fight ignorance is information and knowledge and I think that’s part of what is happening tonight,” said Irizarry.
Caffè Lena's TrueSongs