A special Birthday wish
Birthday Wish for Yvonne:
On July fifth I attended the 14th anniversary celebration dinner and performance of the Synergy Collective as a guest and volunteer. After spending the day with Yvonne driving around running errands, I helped as we picked up gift wrapping, milk, coffee, flowers, boxes of embroidered jackets, water bottles and other gifts... something for everyone: Yvonne had thank you gifts for her volunteers, helpers, Synergy members, and all the visitors.
As Yvonne's truck filled with all the items needed for an event for 200, I learned a bit more about the woman who I mostly know from my work at the elementary school as a generous volunteer, a powerhouse of generosity: the woman who won the school's Volunteer of the Year award in 2010, who has hosted concerts, community dinners, helped with every school fundraiser, taken on the task of being the community Literacy Coordinator, who runs the school's Monday and Friday Lunch programs -raising the funding critical to upgrading the school's technology, who has taken on the role of being the Chair of the Bowen Youth Centre Board... who is the driving force behind the Synergy Collective: a charity which builds community while raising funds for over a dozen charities... raising over 1.4 million for charities over the 14 years, as well as providing monthly community-building dinner-concert that often showcase new, as well as established musicians.
As we drove around Vancouver we listened to k.d. lang's cd: Hymns of the 49th Parallel, and discovered that we have a similar taste in music, as we're both big k.d. fans... Yvonne declared that before she shuffles off this mortal coil, it's her greatest wish to sing a duet with k.d. -on or off stage...
Over the course of the day we talked about our beliefs in life-long learning, and our experiences in pursuing degrees. Yvonne mentioned being unable to complete her phd 4 years earlier due to stomach cancer... which she is still dealing with...
I was stunned to learn that this incredible woman, who does so much, who gives so much, who spends days and days in the school's kitchen and asks for nothing in return... has overcome so much adversity...
While spending the evening at the Vancouver Rowing Club enjoying the Synergy collective event I had a small part in helping to set-up, I was again amazed at the calibre of performers on stage. At these more community-based events Yvonne likes to sing one song that she doesn't know as a sort of challenge... the guitarist she plays with most frequently suggested Danny Boy. He handed the Big Book to Yvonne and they did one run-through at the pre-show practice... and then they performed it at the after dinner concert.... I recorded it on my camera... forgive the poor camera-work and sound quality, I'm new at these things... still, it gives a bit of an idea of Yvonne's vocal range and the magic she creates on stage.
Yvonne is turning 49 this Friday... k.d. lang is performing at the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival Sat. Aug 13... which isn't that far from Bowen Island where Yvonne lives...
What are the odds that I can find someway to get this birthday wish to k.d. lang and that she might sing a duet with Yvonne?
It's an extraordinary long-shot... but I can't think of a better way to thank Yvonne than to try to make her wish come true.... after all she's done, a paper birthday card just doesn't seem to be quite enough!
If you can help, please forward the link to this webpage.
Thank you,
Sarah Haxby, artist and Bowen Island Community School Coordinator
quintree@hotmail.com
July 23 update
When you watch the video, please remember that she’s singing to the Synergy collective celebration, an intimate gathering of around 200 of her foundation’s friends and volunteers. It wasn’t a formal fundraising night the atmosphere was informal, and Yvonne’s guitarist had shoved a big songbook in front of her at practice and said ‘let’s play Danny Boy,’ up for the challenge Yvonne practiced the song once, and then, because she does like a challenge, she decided to sing Danny Boy for only the second time in her life, in front of the live audience. I knew nothing of the back story until after the show!
The day before yesterday I had a meeting with Yvonne McSkimming about developing the community’s literacy plan and two community fun-raisers. Yvonne mentioned that she’s sick again –battling stomach cancer, but she’s not letting it stop her.
As Yvonne's truck filled with all the items needed for an event for 200, I learned a bit more about the woman who I mostly know from my work at the elementary school as a generous volunteer, a powerhouse of generosity: the woman who won the school's Volunteer of the Year award in 2010, who has hosted concerts, community dinners, helped with every school fundraiser, taken on the task of being the community Literacy Coordinator, who runs the school's Monday and Friday Lunch programs -raising the funding critical to upgrading the school's technology, who has taken on the role of being the Chair of the Bowen Youth Centre Board... who is the driving force behind the Synergy Collective: a charity which builds community while raising funds for over a dozen charities... raising over 1.4 million for charities over the 14 years, as well as providing monthly community-building dinner-concert that often showcase new, as well as established musicians.
As we drove around Vancouver we listened to k.d. lang's cd: Hymns of the 49th Parallel, and discovered that we have a similar taste in music, as we're both big k.d. fans... Yvonne declared that before she shuffles off this mortal coil, it's her greatest wish to sing a duet with k.d. -on or off stage...
Over the course of the day we talked about our beliefs in life-long learning, and our experiences in pursuing degrees. Yvonne mentioned being unable to complete her phd 4 years earlier due to stomach cancer... which she is still dealing with...
I was stunned to learn that this incredible woman, who does so much, who gives so much, who spends days and days in the school's kitchen and asks for nothing in return... has overcome so much adversity...
While spending the evening at the Vancouver Rowing Club enjoying the Synergy collective event I had a small part in helping to set-up, I was again amazed at the calibre of performers on stage. At these more community-based events Yvonne likes to sing one song that she doesn't know as a sort of challenge... the guitarist she plays with most frequently suggested Danny Boy. He handed the Big Book to Yvonne and they did one run-through at the pre-show practice... and then they performed it at the after dinner concert.... I recorded it on my camera... forgive the poor camera-work and sound quality, I'm new at these things... still, it gives a bit of an idea of Yvonne's vocal range and the magic she creates on stage.
Yvonne is turning 49 this Friday... k.d. lang is performing at the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival Sat. Aug 13... which isn't that far from Bowen Island where Yvonne lives...
What are the odds that I can find someway to get this birthday wish to k.d. lang and that she might sing a duet with Yvonne?
It's an extraordinary long-shot... but I can't think of a better way to thank Yvonne than to try to make her wish come true.... after all she's done, a paper birthday card just doesn't seem to be quite enough!
If you can help, please forward the link to this webpage.
Thank you,
Sarah Haxby, artist and Bowen Island Community School Coordinator
quintree@hotmail.com
July 23 update
When you watch the video, please remember that she’s singing to the Synergy collective celebration, an intimate gathering of around 200 of her foundation’s friends and volunteers. It wasn’t a formal fundraising night the atmosphere was informal, and Yvonne’s guitarist had shoved a big songbook in front of her at practice and said ‘let’s play Danny Boy,’ up for the challenge Yvonne practiced the song once, and then, because she does like a challenge, she decided to sing Danny Boy for only the second time in her life, in front of the live audience. I knew nothing of the back story until after the show!
The day before yesterday I had a meeting with Yvonne McSkimming about developing the community’s literacy plan and two community fun-raisers. Yvonne mentioned that she’s sick again –battling stomach cancer, but she’s not letting it stop her.
