HOLDING COURT

Holding Court: Hundreds of voices combine for benefit

Lee Clarkson
Statesman Journal
Cantus Youth Choirs from Boise, Idaho, will join three local school choirs to perform "You Will Be Found" March 16 to benefit Liberty House.

NOTE: The venue for the "You Will Be Found" benefit concert has been updated.

Former Salem teacher brings Boise choir for Liberty House benefit

Hundreds of youth singers will perform a benefit concert March 16 to benefit Liberty House and Erika McCauley wrote to tell us about what's coming up.

McCauley is the artistic director of Cantus Youth Choirs in Boise, Idaho, which will bring hundreds of its members to join members of the choirs from Whiteaker Middle School and McNary and Sprague high schools to perform "You Will Be Found" at 7 p.m. Friday, March 16, at Dayspring Fellowship Church, 1755 Lockhaven Drive NE in Keizer. 

All proceeds from the concert will go directly to Liberty House, a nonprofit organization in Salem whose mission is to assess, counsel and support children and families facing concerns of abuse, neglect, trauma or grief.

McCauley said the concert will culminate with a mass performance of "You Will Be Found" from the musical, Dear Evan Hansen.

Vincenzo Meduri, a Sprague High graduate and board member of Liberty House, will be featured as a guest soloist and master of ceremonies.

Cantus Youth Choirs in Boise, Idaho, will join three local school choirs to perform "You Will Be Found" March 16 to benefit Liberty House.

The concert allows McCauley to bring things full circle here in Salem. She grew up here, graduated from Sprague High School and taught at Crossler and Whiteaker middle schools. She said even her parents met in choir at McNary High School.

"My life was forever changed for the better by the award-winning music programs in Salem-Keizer schools," McCauley said.

When she moved with her husband to Boise in 2007, McCauley said she "wanted to offer the youth (there) the same life-changing, extraordinary musical experiences" she experienced as a youth in Salem.

On March 16, you can see the result for yourself.

Tickets are $12 for premiere seating and $8 for general admission. They can be purchased online at youwillbefound.eventbrite.com or at the door.

Liberty House is also hosting its annual "Celebrate Spring" gourmet dinner and auction at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at the Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St. SE.

Tickets are $100 per person or $1,000 for a table for 10. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.LibertyHouseCenter.org or call (503) 540-0288.

Travel club touts monthly meetings

The Mid-Valley Travel Club has a pair of upcoming monthly meetings that Dick and Jane Groff wrote to inform us about.

The first meeting is at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at Salem Public Library's Loucks Auditorium.

The topic will be "Nepal: Before Tragedy" presented by Steve and Toby Rhine, who returned from Nepal two weeks before an earthquake struck in April 2015. They will share pictures and stories of their travels.

April's meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, also at Loucks Auditorium. This meeting's topic will be "Magic Patagonia: Enticing Lands at the End of the Earth" presented by Eric Schuman, who will tell about his visit to southern Chile and Argentina. 

Mid-Valley Travel Club meetings are free and open to the public — anyone interested in travel. For information, check out www.MidValleyTravelClub.org or call 503-931-1684.

Film screening held March 18 to benefit conservancy

Susan Napack of Lord & Schryver Conservancy wrote in to tell us about a fundraiser that will spark real change. Or, as the name says, "reel" change.

Salem Cinema is hosting a "Reel Change For Our Community" event to benefit Lord & Schryver on Sunday, March 18, with a showing of "A Man Named Pearl."

The film begins at 7 p.m. at Salem Cinema, 1127 Broadway St. NE.

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the cinema box office or www.SalemCinema.com/specialevents.

Lord & Schryver Conservancy aims to promote a greater understanding of the contributions of Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver to Northwest landscape architecture. Learn more at www.LordAndSchryverConservancy.org.

Celebrate friendship at March 19 breakfast

Celebrate the world of friendship with the Friendship Force of Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley at their no-host breakfast scramble March 19.

Chris Duval wrote to let us know the event will be held at 9 a.m. Monday, March 19, at Elmer’s Restaurant, 2802 Santiam Hwy. SE in Albany.

The celebration marks the day Friendship Force International was founded, March 1, 1977. The first day of March is the organization's unofficial friendship day, Duval said.

Friendship Force International as an organization focuses on promoting understanding, cultural education and citizen diplomacy.

Friendship Force of Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley is the local FFI club, with members coming from around the Mid-Valley — primarily Salem, Albany, Dallas and Corvallis.

Learn more about FFI at www.FriendshipForce.org. For questions about the March 19 breakfast, contact Chris Duval at 971-218-0361 or Duval15@comcast.net.

Peace Lutheran Church to host free presentation March 14

Peace Lutheran Church is hosting a presentation with relevant implications on March 14.

Dr. Matthew Becker will give a free presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, entitled "Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Theology of the Cross."

Becker, a Salem native and professor of theology at Valparaiso University, will speak on the topic of seeing too much silence in the face of evil.

The presentation will be held in the main sanctuary at Peace Lutheran Church, 1525 Glen Creek Road NW. Becker's discussion will be preceded by Holden Evening Prayer at 6:30 p.m.

For information, contact the church at 503-362-8500.

Awards set for March 11

The 24th Annual Nellie Thompson – Dorothy Patch Scholarship Fund Awards will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday, March 11 at Chemeketa Community College, 4000 Lancaster Dr, Salem, Building 2. 

Seventeen scholarships will be awarded to students of color. 

The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
 
For information, contact Mike Swaim at 503-363-0063.

A shower for baby kittens

Every spring, Coalition Advocating for Animals (CAFA) rescues dozens of homeless kittens. The group is seeking donations of moist and dry kitten food at a Kitten Shower, at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 10 at Pet Etc., 1145 Edgewater St. NW.

Information will be provided on what to do if you find kittens, how to be a temporary or regular foster, and on the spay/neuter and trap-neuter-return program.

Reach Lee Clarkson at lclarkson@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6833. Submit items for Holding Court to HC@statesmanjournal.com.

SUBMITTING TO HOLDING COURT

Holding Court submissions can be emailed to HC@statesmanjournal.com. Submissions should be sent well in advance of event date. Be sure to include all necessary information about your news or event. Individuals or groups may utilize Holding Court once every 90 days.