Happy New Year!

A new decade is here and 2020 looks to be an exciting year for HEART! We’re looking forward to adding some new chapters to our HEARTstory books. As always, we’ll share laughs and make beautiful memories with friends both new and old. We’ll work hard and prepare for an incredible performance of our newest production, Rare Bird, this Spring. We’ll travel to our favorite places and bring our art to new audiences. And we’ll do it all with the support of our wonderful friends and family.

Cheers to all the great things this new year will bring!

GET YOUR RARE BIRD TICKETS NOW!

Rare Bird follows John Seeker, an American public radio personality best known as the host and producer of the podcast This Insane World. Though Seeker is successful in his career, he wrestles with feelings of shame and not belonging. After his parent’s deaths, Seeker, now 36 years old learns that he was adopted and is given a mysterious package that his biological mother had left for him when she gave him up for adoption. The package contains only a parable and an antique compass with a unique engraving of a rare bird.

Seeker sets out to not only tell the story of his search for his biological mother but his quest for a sense of belonging and acceptance. Clues lead Seeker to Rare Bird, a town of creative misfits living off-the-grid far away from the comforts and trappings of modern civilization. Through interviews with the residents at the ranch, Seeker not only discovers his biological mother--he discovers that it’s not so much about finding something that you are missing but about creating what you want. Rare Bird is a story about feeling a sense of belonging through self acceptance and embracing one’s imperfections and flaws. Seeker may not have found the story he expected to find but he uncovers something far more valuable.

RARE BIRD WORKSHOP SHOW was a huge success! Click link to view photo blog from December.

Welcome, Sisi!

With the new year, we welcome a new member of the HEART family.  Sierra “Sisi” Garland joins us beginning in February to take on the new role of Deputy Director, working closely with Farrah through the Piccolo premiere of Rare Bird in June.

Sisi has worked in the Charleston theater scene since moving here in 2005.  She received her B.A. in Theatre Performance in 2009 from the College of Charleston and began working for the Village Repertory Co. quickly after graduation.  Now, she serves as the Company Stage Manager, sound designer, and is a member of the Village Rep Ensemble. Currently, she is working on her graduate certificate in Arts and Cultural Management from the College.

Sisi began volunteering for us as we got ready for the Piccolo run of STAR, helping us with the sound and lighting design, and she ran those technical elements for our performance at the Music Hall. It didn’t take long for Sisi to fall in love with HEART and, of course, all of our HEARTists. 

Sisi is absolutely thrilled to be working with HEART and can’t wait to get started!

Night to Shine

We’re getting ready to put on our dancing shoes and celebrate a Night to Shine on Friday, February 7th!

Seacoast Church and the Tim Tebow Foundation host an unforgettable prom night experience which celebrates its sixth anniversary this year! Last year, 655 groups from around the world came together to share an evening of fun and community for 100,000 honored guests through the support of 200,000 volunteers!

HEART has been invited to perform as part of the evening’s entertainment for the past few years. We will partner with Beyond BASIC to present a Collaborative Community Dance performance during this year’s celebration at Seacoast Church in Mt. Pleasant. Please be sure to register your guest(s) here in order to attend.

Collaborative Community Dance Training

HEART has created a collaboration with Beyond BASIC where our members, staff, and volunteers from both organizations get together twice a month to learn a dance routine that we take out to share with the public. These performances can happen through an organized function that we've been invited to perform at, or in a public space as a dance flash mob.

Collaborative Community Dance Training generates positive exposure for our members with special needs and has positive results for the community at large. Our Collaborative Community Dance delight audiences and generate positive publicity for inclusivity. They also create more interest in our services for members and volunteer mentors alike.

HEART TRAILBLAZERS

HEART trailblazes every Tuesday and Thursday to get out and engage with our community whether it be to art galleries or local parks. We love to play and learn from nature, art, and each other. Some of our favorites are Hampton Park for kickball, Tuxbury Farm to swim in the river, Kiawah pool and beach with Eliza’s family, and Halsey Gallery at College of Charleston!

Screen Printing Program

Visual arts has been an ever-developing program at HEART. In 2019, we decided to focus our efforts towards screen printing. Screen printing provides specific jobs throughout the process where HEARTists can participate and find interest in. Some of the stations we’ve established include drawing designs, pulling prints, heat setting, as well as the back end of production such as photographing products, uploading photos to our online store, and promoting them through social media. We’re excited to continue to develop this program as we grow our inventory!

Check out our Shop to see all of the current products we have available and please, think of HEART when you’re shopping for gifts for friends!

HEART Family Vacation

HEART Family Vacation 2020

August 31 - September 4 at our favorite Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain, NC where we can do all things nature AND go into Asheville for some city culture!

REGISTER NOW!

This is our favorite time of year where we can relax with the HEARTists and give their families a 5 day, 4 night reprieve. HEARTists really come out of their shells at camp which helps us build trust, confront fears, and reinforce independence.

Photos above from 2019 HEART Family Vacation. Look how much fun we have in just a short week!

INCLUSIVE OPEN MIC NIGHTS

HEART hosts quarterly inclusive open mic nights that are open and free to the public. Bring your instruments, voice, poetry, story-telling, comedy or anything you want to perform! Mark your calendars for the 2020 dates to see what inclusivity and encouraging audiences really look like.

April 9, August 13, and December 17

5-7:00pm at HEART

754 Rutledge Ave (behind Asbury St James) Charleston, SC 29403

Community Calendar

If you’re looking for inclusive events and happenings in the Charleston area, check out our Community Calendar. We’ll keep you updated on all the goings-on so you won’t miss a chance to have fun and stay involved in your community.

If you have an inclusive event you’d like to add to our calendar, you can add your event here. Share this link on social media and with anyone that has an event that should be added to the calendar! The more we know about, the more we can share!

Holiday Closures

Looking ahead to the days HEART will be closed for the holidays in 2020:

• August 31st - September 4th - HEART Family Vacation 2020

  Regular programming will be closed this week as we travel to North Carolina for our annual HEART family camping trip.

• November 26th - Closed for Thanksgiving

• December 22nd - December 31st - Closed for Winter Break

  The first day back at HEART in 2021 will be Tuesday, January 5th

HEART Volunteers!

We are always accepting volunteers to help us in our daily activities. If you know someone who would make a great addition to our fantastic team of volunteers, let us know or send your info Rae’s way at rae@heartsc.org! You can also check out our Volunteer Calendar to view our daily schedule and sign up for whatever day/time works for you!