"Big Hearts for Seniors" event to feature local storyteller
Breeda Miller's presentation for the "Big Hearts for Seniors" event is called "Apple Pie." Her original story will debut July 30. "It just might be my favorite," she says. "I think it's good!"
Breeda Miller is still telling stories. And she's loving it.
The story she is telling these days (along with five more that she's coaching and coordinating) is brand new and was developed especially for a fund-raising event that has undergone a lot of changes over the last five months ... just like the rest of us.
"When I worked for the University of Michigan, I coordinated events for fund-raising and development," Breeda explains. "The geriatrics department had done a program called 'Big Hearts for Seniors' for 12 years, and this was their fundraising vehicle. They would get a movie, normally from AARP, and show it at the Michigan Theater. About a year and a half ago, they called me and said they wanted to switch things up and take it to a new level and they wanted me to help."
Roger Parker's story will tell about the influence of Ed Cox, with whom he formed the duo “Salt and Pepper” and who has become for him a role model for aging vibrantly and living life fully to the very end.
This was a big enough change for the event. "They went from an event that was built around a pre-made program, to creating the event, the programming ... everything," she says. "They had no idea how to do this, and I wasn't really sure, either. So I talked to some friends and we brainstormed and I met up with Brian Cox in Ypsilanti, who was doing a theatrical program called 'Snapshots.' I told one of my stories for this series and Brian and I ended up collaborating to come up with the idea to make the BHFS program into a storytelling event."
Then started a cycle that started out with reaching out to storytellers across Michigan, the audition process, the selection of storytellers, and coaching them to be able to tell their stories in a given time slot.
"We had to figure the whole thing out," Breeda says. "And ultimately, we came up with a list of people to invite to submit a 250-word synopsis of their story. We got about 30 entries from all over the state—all of them were fascinating, and we decided to invite all of them to a 'pitch-fest' in front of a panel for the auditions."
On three consecutive snowy January nights, the invitees came to the Turner Geriatric Center to introduce themselves and pitch their story. At this point, the event was still expected to be held live at the Michigan Theater in the spring.
"We were looking for a good story, good stage presence, and someone who could be directed and coached," Breeda explained. To find a satisfactory combination of all three could be hard, but Breeda and Brian's final goal was to have six storytellers, each telling their tales in 10 minutes or less. They were also looking for diversity in the storytellers, in the content, and the experience of aging described in each story. And, the stories needed to be true.
After selecting their six candidates, Brian and Breeda set up coaching sessions and determined a date, May 7, for the live performance at the Michigan Theater.
"Hello, COVID," she says with a chuckle. "At first, we thought we'd just have to cancel. We weren't sure we could find a way to do it ... we knew a live event would not be possible. So, we put on our pivoting-hats and tried to figure out what we could do."
The answer? Go virtual. Do the program, record it, and have a live emcee for the night of the event. But the Michigan Theater would not be an option, so they had to find another location. "Fortunately, there are plenty of auditoriums on the University of Michigan campus," Breeda says. "And we found a beautiful one and finagled our way in."
Since this is a fund-raiser, all the storytellers, videographers, editors, and organizers, have donated 100% of their time and efforts. And without the overhead of a venue, food, drinks, additional staffing, and other considerations, the upside of the entire event is that 100% of the proceeds will go to benefit the five organizations for whom the event was designed--Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels, Housing Bureau for Seniors, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Silver Club Memory Programs, and the Turner Senior Wellness Program.
"We had been practicing all along, and were set up to record the program on Monday, July 13, over a three-hour period," Breeda relates. "Plot twist--on Sunday, I got a call from one of our storytellers. She's 73 years old and just learned she had been indirectly exposed to COVID. She was incredibly conscientious; she didn't want to infect anyone. Her courage in coming forward like that at the last minute was so admirable. And, in a wonderful example of being adaptive, we were able to shoot her segment outside, in her back yard.
"Everyone has been so creative and resourceful. When you really want to do something, you figure it out. And as it turns out, I'm more excited about the reaching power of this event now, than when we originally started planning for 800 people in the theater."
The virtual event will be streamed live on YouTube on July 30 from 7-8:30 pm (once you have your free "ticket" you can also watch later, Breeda emphasizes). To watch, you must register ahead of time here. Registration for the event is free, but community members can make donations as they register. A silent auction will also be part of the event; items will be available to view starting July 23, and the auction will continue through August 7.
The "live" part of the event will include Vic Strecher, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Schools of Public Health and Founder and CEO of Kumanu, Inc. "He's also a great storyteller himself," Breeda adds. Strecher's many endeavors are all focused on the importance of developing and maintaining a strong purpose in life.
Big Hearts for Seniors: Experiences of Aging is not just for the elderly ... it can be a learning experience for everyone. "Storytelling can trigger some great discussions, connections, and entertainment," Breeda says. "The power of a story is so amazing to me. It can connect and transport you. It can offer an opportunity to heal ... these stories are inspiring, funny, and touching.
"It’s a labor of love," she continues. "I'm so excited about it; I hope it lifts people’s spirits and is encouraging not only about the experiences of aging, but that we can find ways to come together in these times. It may not be what we originally planned, but it might be even better. Our goal is to raise $100,000 for these organizations. And it’s needed, now more than ever."
While this is the BIG thing on Breeda's plate right now, (and it's pretty big—they already have registrants on three continents!) she's also got plenty of other things in the works.
At 10 am each day, she brings a 10-minute program to Facebook Live, via her speaker page, with the purpose of encouraging and supporting caregivers, especially; but in these difficult times, she says, nearly everyone needs some kind of support. She has focused her recent talks on Coping with COVID—whether you have it, whether you're caring for someone who has it or has had it, or if it's just difficult for you to cope with not knowing what the future holds—she'll offer a "soft spot" for you to land for just 10 minutes of your time.
She's also developing a webinar for the United Methodist Retirement Center in Chelsea that will debut this Wednesday, "Take a break before you break," for caregivers. "It’s free, and presented in partnership with other residences, across the state," she says. "It will be live from my house in Manchester; a great opportunity to reach people. If caregivers had a hard time with feeling isolated before COVID, how do you think they must feel now?" she asks. "There's no home health care, no family members who can just drop by ... the challenge—isolation—stress—the inability to take a break—has always been an issue. Now it’s just magnified."
Another very exciting event coming up will be Breeda's debut on "The Sunday Paper" with Maria Shriver.
"I've been sharing my 10 minute Breaks with Breeda since March 13," she explains. "I share it to several groups and one of them is the Sunday Ambassadors by Maria Shriver—this group has a mission of peace and caring and supporting people. I asked if I could submit the videos; I’m not selling anything, this is not a marketing thing. I wanted to be of service more than everything. And better still, it means I have to clean up, get dressed, and put on make up every day.
"Maria herself has commented on a few of my videos—that was thrilling, of course—and then a couple weeks ago, I got a call from the Editor of the Sunday Paper, asking would I be interested in writing a piece for their end of summer issue, that will be published the end of July.
"I thought for about a millisecond and then I said, 'of course.' So I wrote about why it is important, why caregivers should take a break. I haven’t heard a peep back from them, but it will appear, as far as I know, on July 26 unless I'm preempted by someone!" (Maybe Deepak Chopra or Brené Brown?)
The optimism that Breeda shows is contagious. You get the idea that anything is possible. And for her, it seems to be.
"It's just so exciting that you can do something from your family room in Manchester, and reach people around the world," she says. "I’m open to opportunities, and that’s been a wonderful thing."
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