We've pledged to donate a percentage of our proceeds to charities, and when Tiffany Schleigh reached out to us about her non-profit organization, Cabaret for a Cause, we knew it was something we wanted to help out with immediately. Here's a little more about what this charity does, and advice (from an expert!) for anyone who's looking to give back a little more in 2015.
Tell us about Cabaret for a Cause.
Cabaret for a Cause is a tri-annual event that was created in 2010. We bring together young professionals from Broadway, film, and television to help other young people in need!
This event is helping Project Renewel. Can you tell us more about that?
We are specifically working with Project Renewal's housing program for homeless families, En Casa. Each night in New York City alone, over 20,000 homeless children sleep in shelters. Project Renewal created En Casa just two years ago to help families and give them a safe haven to raise their children in and turn their lives around. It is pretty incredible! With Cabaret for a Cause, we try to stress the importance of giving back with all of the performers and the audience. The performers and their families and friends have been collecting clothing, books, toys and so much more for the past month - so not only will we be giving a monetary donation, but we have an entire moving truck full of items for these families. We hope it makes their holiday season a little brighter!
How do you choose the charities Cabaret for a Cause helps?
We choose programs that directly help children. In the coming years, we plan to do three annual events: one for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (this is the first cause we ever supported and it is very dear to my heart), one for Project Renewal/En Casa, and the third one will be based on suggestions from our audience members! There are so many worthy causes that we want to help!
Tell us how you became inspired to start/join Cabaret for a Cause.
It's kind of a funny story! It started out really small. I had a couple of friends in college who had been in Broadway shows and just wanted a reason to perform in their free time, so we started it as a weekly event in a restaurant! There wasn't even a stage - just a keyboard and a microphone. When the weather was warm, the restaurant would open all of the windows and people would stop in their tracks on the sidewalk to hear the performers. It became bigger and bigger, so the restaurant manager suggested we start collecting donations for his favorite cause… St. Jude Children's Research Hospital! We continued to expand, we moved from the restaurant to the attic of a bar, then to a blackbox theatre, then to a small theatre, and finally to our "home" - Galapagos Art Space.
Do you have any advice for people who want to give back more in 2015? Whether it’s donating time or money…
There are so many ways everyone can help! Donating money is so easy to do, but it is also easy to volunteer! It is also SO important to encourage children to give back. Spread love and kindness to the future generations!
What’s next for C4AC?
Well, we plan on officially becoming a non-profit company in 2015 and will begin planning events in different cities! Right now we are planning an event in Pennsylvania for the summer and may be planning on for Los Angeles in the spring!
We wish Cabaret for a Cause the best of luck with their event! Keep an eye out for more from this lovely organization in the future.
