I have had a lot of fun lately meeting with new nonprofs and established nonprofs looking for new direction.  In the last few months I’ve been somewhat heavily involved in steering a strategic planning effort for Texas Choral Consort – an org I sit on the advisory board for, because my good friend Brent Baldwin is the AD and he asked me too.  TCC is a cool group with a strong community-based mission to bring the opportunity of singing to anyone in the community who wishes it via non-auditioned singing opportunities (among a lot of other stuff).

I really have enjoyed my engagement, on the artistic advisory board, of the SIMS Foundation for which we had loads of fun setting up a collaborative classical music concert hosted by Austin philanthropists Andrew and Mary Ann Heller at their amazing Congress Street home and concert hall!  The SIMS Foundation helps Austin musicians with mental health and addiction issues, something that is near and dear to Glenda and I at this time especially having lost a dear friend, and fine singer songwriter, not terribly long ago.

But when it rains it pours, does it not?  I’ve found myself in compelling meetings in 2010 alone with David Neff of Lights, Camera, Help, Emily Marks, the genius behind Girls Rock Camp Austin, the dynamic CJ Menge of the Inside Out Steel Drum project, and Rod Saunders of the Tulsa Classical Guitar Society.  We have had fantastic discussions on a range of topics from networking, to fundraising, building boards of directors, developing programming that serves diverse communities, interfacing with school district administrations and so much more.  It is energizing to be engaged with so many creative and disciplined minds who dedicate tremendous energy to community service through the arts.