Big Hearts for Seniors Event

May 27, 2021  |  7:00PM EDT  |  Virtual

An evening of "Big Hearted Stories: Generations" and entertainment with a silent auction to benefit five important community programs.

Free! Donations welcomed - Registration will be open soon!

The Event Benefits: Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels, Housing Bureau for Seniors, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Silver Club Memory Programs, Turner Senior Wellness Program. 

“Big Hearted Stories 2021 is going to be an event filled with heart and connection. Our theme "Generations" will allow our storytellers to share memories of connection and tradition. As it will be virtual it will be accessible to audiences around the world. We can't wait!” Breeda Miller- Artistic Director/Volunteer Big Hearts for Seniors

 

2021 Storytellers - "Generations"

Tuyishime Claire Gasamagera is an author, storyteller, activist, advocate, and multilingual journalist reporting on social and racial justice, equal human rights, and healthcare access. Claire is a contributor to different HIV and AIDS magazines. She is the winner of the 2019 Arts and Understanding Magazine Christopher Hewitt award for nonfiction. Her writing is informed by her activism and lived experiences. Claire was born with HIV in 1983 and survived the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Her work has been published in thebody.com, Arts and Understanding Magazine, the International AIDS Alliance Key Correspondents, Voice of Africa, and AllAfrica.

Margarita Gurri, CSP is a Misbehavior Expert who solves people problems. Leaders and teams in business, healthcare, government, and military organizations rely on her wit and wisdom as they leverage the power of anxiety, conflict, and missteps to increase productivity and profit. She’s a global speaker, seasoned consulting clinical psychologist, and sassy grandmother with a dusty black belt. Affectionately known as Dr. Red Shoe, she offers executive advising, keynotes, MCing, meeting facilitation, and training. A licensed psychologist, Certified Speaking Professional, and Certified Virtual Presenter, she is sought-after for her discretion and content-rich, fun approach to change. Author of Color Me Difficult, True North for Military Moms, True North for Military Couples, The Ethical Speaker, Trilogy of Anger, La Trilogia de la Ira, Anglican Prayer Beads, and co-author of The Happiness Recipe. Broadcasts and Podcasts include The Rabbi & The Shrink-Ethics Unscripted and People & Profits: Boost Your Business.

Jerry Lemenu studied at Sacred Heart Seminary, Michigan State University, Society of Arts and Crafts, Wayne State University, and the Heatherley School of Art in London, England. He was the one-person art staff at Focus: HOPE in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1981 he began drawing courtroom art for WDIV. He eventually drew courtroom scenes for every local and national media outlet. His most rewarding job was that of a high school art teacher at Ferndale High School and the Center for Advanced Studies and the Arts (1992-2018). From 1994 until 2004, Lemenu was a member of the ensemble cast of the Improv group, Empatheatre which performed once a month at Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown Concert House-the audience’s real-life stories were enacted. Lemenu is a featherbowler and his portraits of his mentors line the back wall of Detroit’s Cadieux Café. Each portrait has a story.

 

Tyler Phillips is an author from Stevenson, Alabama, who now lives in Ann Arbor. His storytelling is heavily influenced by the dialect, people, and geography of the Tennessee Valley, which will forever be his home. Tyler is currently working on his first novel about a small church in north Alabama. In his free time he enjoys Auburn football, Braves baseball, producing films for his friends, and visiting new states.