'Giving thanks' vibes Sat. with Caffè Lena
TrueSongs shines a light on six local nonprofits through a special evening of personal story-telling and song.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — What could possibly put you in the spirit of giving thanks faster than shining a light on six local nonprofits during one very special evening with Caffè Lena?
Enter “TrueSongs 2025; Stories of Courage, Resilience & Community,” Saturday night’s spotlight on six people whose lives were changed by a Capital Region organization that prioritizes creating a healthy community. Its spirit really struck a chord — since doing this interview, the show outgrew Caffè Lena and was moved to UPH!
“We want to show that this good work and this caring and this love — this urge to have a healthy world — exists all around us,” says Caffè Lena’s executive director, Sarah Craig. “It’s not just fractious debates, wars and hunger — this kind of caring that’s a basic human instinct keeps on keeping on no matter what happens out there in the world.”
Each person will not only take the stage to tell their own story (during a spoken word performance perfected by professionals), but will also take in their story being told in song. Performers include Crys Matthews, Emily Barnes, Sirsy, Rachel Sumner, Reese Fulmer, and Dan Berggren.
“Each person goes up and tells their first person story about their journey, a real arc of crisis and things being resolved as a result of the support through this nonprofit,” Craig says. “And then that speaker is also working with one of our professional songwriters to get the emotional experience of it and draw out those little details that make you feel what the person went through.”
Grab your ticket for the 7 p.m. show on Saturday Nov. 15 — now moved to UPH — at caffelena.org.