Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another episode of Carolina Cares. A familiar face
in the studio with us today and a new face,
but we love new faces in here. It's going to
be great. Welcome on from the Hirsh Wellness Center. Ley
Thornton and Kelly Jewel, thank you, good morning, No Clay,
It's been a while since we've talked. What's new at
the Hirsh Center A lot, Yes, a lot.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I have been in that executive director role now for
just over a year and so getting used to things still.
But it's great working with a lot of volunteers and
we are coming up on that time of year again
where we have our big fundraiser, Art Lives Here.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Before we get into Art Lives Here. For someone who's
just tuning in and has never heard of the Hirsh Center,
what is the key takeaways they need to know?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Well, you know, we're essentially a community resource primarily for
the cancer community and people on the cancer journey. So
that's folks that have been recently diagnosed going through treatment
they could be longtime survivors. But it's also the caregivers,
that's families. That is the hospital personnel such as the
(01:10):
oncology nurses, and doctors. So we conduct free programs, free
classes for those on the cancer journey, and those are
arts and wellness classes. So arts would be things such
as painting and ceramics that you would think of, but
it could also be sound therapy.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah, we recently had a four part ukulele series.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Oh cool.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
We have a couple of creative writing instructors and do
some different things there as well. And then on the
wellness side, as you would imagine, yoga we would try
at yoga institute here locally, and also aquatics that we
offer every Saturday through Club Fitness. But again all these
classes are free. And I'll say with the wellness, you know,
(02:02):
it's it's not just the yoga and the aquatics. We
have taiji jong, We have a with a standing and
a sitting version of that.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Okay, so lots of variety thing.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, aroma therapy. I mean the list is as long.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Wow, you have so many great services. And I do
need to say you do not have to be artistic
in any way, shape and or form to come in correct.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
That's correct, That's not really the point. It's more of
a project base. You you're you're you're immersing yourself in
the in the artistic endeavor, you're immersing yourself in uh,
the sound therapy class, so you know, and and and
along with that, it's a it's a community, a safe
community of of people that have had cancer or are
(02:45):
caring for folks with cancer. The conversation can be can
be what you want.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Speaking of the artistic community, we have a lovely artist
with us here today, Kelly Joel, and you have seen
firsthand just the amazingness that is the Hirsh Center.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I discovered Hirsh Wellness soon after my diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
I was researching on my computer looking for support for
cancer survivors, and I came across Hersh Wellness and I
started looking at their calendar and I saw that they
offered art classes and wellness classes, but they also offered
(03:21):
online classes. And since I wasn't feeling well going through
my treatments, I thought, I can sign up to do
the online classes. I could schedule the time and show
up and I could be part of the class in
the safety of my own home, leaving the audio and
the visual off and just being a part of the class.
So that was my first start with HRSH.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Now previous to joining hirsh Wellness, did you have any
kind of art background or were you like this just
sounds like a fun way to keep my mind active
in going.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Actually, I've been involved in art all my life. I've
done all kinds of art. I've even had my own
pottery studio where I sold to galleries. I was doing
gravity defying sculpted cakes where I was in international collaborations
and I was published in international magazines.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Okay, we need to first time out because when I
hear gravity sculpted cakes, I think like, here's a chocolate
creation hovering like above the ground, suspended from things.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
The collaboration site that I was involved with. They would
choose a subject, so like I have a witch that
I huw a bust of a witch that I did
that was actually the picture of it was hung into
the largest cake show in the world. So I've done
all kinds of all kinds of cakes. But my ideas
are are my own designs and my own creations, and
(04:43):
they're usually out there. So the different out there meaning
they're different.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
But I'm getting crazy. Here's when we're done with this.
That sounds so cool, and this is what's going to
lead us to the big fundraising event we have coming up. Kelly,
you're going to be a part of it, I am.
But before we talk about what you're going to contribute,
I just tell us a little bit about it and
how people can help.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Well, this is our sixteenth annual, so that tells you
we're getting better and better at it every year. It
is our primary fundraiser for the year. Last year our
goal was ninety thousand. We raised over eighty eight thousand.
This year our goal is one hundred.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Thousand, and we're going to get you to that goal.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Well, I certainly hope. So this event actually takes place
in September. It is September sixteenth through September twenty eighth,
and that twenty eighth date is a culmination with a
gala event from six to eight pm for this art auction,
and this is held at Revolution Mill in Greensboro.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
So let's talk about art lives here twenty twenty four
because there's a lead up to the actual gala and
people can go online and see what you all have
available from your artisans that are contributing that benefit from
Hersch Wellness exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
And we have about one hundred and fifty artists this year.
They are prime early local artists. They're donating their own
original work or something from their collections, and all of
that will be in place and ready to be viewed
on September sixteenth at three pm. So every afternoon from
the sixteenth of September through the twenty seventh, three to
(06:20):
six pm, the gallery will be open. People can come by.
We can help you sign up to bid online because
this is an online auction, and I will say that
tickets are actually already on sale on our website, but
the bidding sign up that happens in mid September, September sixteenth,
so it's a lot of fun. Hundreds of people will
(06:44):
be engaged with that bidding process and then, as I say,
it culminates in a gala event.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Types of art are going to be up for auction.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Oh my, we have I don't know if I mentioned this.
We've got over two hundred and seventy five pieces this year,
and that's about ten percent more than last year. And
we have fiber arts, we have a lot of paintings, drawings, etchings, ceramics,
we have some three dimensional art. We have jewelry, so
(07:16):
there's a little bit of everything. And the price range
is really really very quite a bit as well.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
A little something for everyone is what you're saying. That's
what I'm saying, and that's why we have Kelly here today,
not only because you're just amazing and we'll have you
in all the time, but you're actually contributing to Art
Lives here twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
I am. Last year I was able to volunteer for
the gala, and this year I'm contributing some pottery that
I've made, and I'll also be volunteering that night as well.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Can you tell us a little bit about the pottery
that you're going to be putting up for auction.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
It's pottery that has been made with North Carolina impression
of a North Carolina leaf on it, so it can
be there's three to the set. It's like bringing the
beauty of the outdoors in. You can use the pottery
for functional reasons to you know, put your remote in it,
or your keys in it or whatever, or you can.
They're also food safe and dishwasher safe, so they're pretty
(08:13):
and they're functional.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Kelly. I am so fascinated by your talent and also
I'm just going to say it a little bit envious
because I have no artistic ability whatsoever. So to see
just someone creates out of clay from the ground and
you're like, here's my lovely leaf impressioned vas. That is amazing.
I just the way your mind works. I'm fascinated by
(08:35):
it and I love it.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
You know, It's interesting going through treatments. I wasn't feeling
like giving art and when I found hersh it got
me back going again and being able to take the
online classes and then be able to take the in
person classes and then make goals. I would talk to
Clay and I let them know my art background. It's
a very strong art background. I used to be an
art director as well.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And so I started talking to Clay about the idea
of teaching classes after I got stronger, and so we
made that happen and I taught my first class. When
they found out about my cakes, that my sculptures, that
I would make edable sculptures, they asked if I could
teach cake decorating classes. Okay, and so that was my
first and second class teaching there. We had our first
(09:20):
class with having a survivor or a caregiver along with
a member of their family. A caregiver. There was one
family there that was the lady, one of her daughters,
and one of her granddaughters. So in my class we
had three generations.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Oh cool.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
It was really awesome. But yes, so teaching and then volunteering,
and then also I'm part of the Artists in Residence
program as well. We go in and we tell people
about HERSH and we give out craft kits and sometimes
we'll have a craft going on at a table and
being able to tell people about it. I was able
(09:54):
to get a number of new people in my class
last week where we ended up making they looked like
teared cakes, but they were actually made out of watermelon
and decorated with different kinds of fruit.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Oh cool.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Everyone had a wonderful time and when they were able
to bring those home and at the end of the class,
I was hearing stories about one lady was going to
bring hers to her her family dinner that night, another
one was bringing it to a pool party. But they
had so much fun nibbling on fruit, making their creation
and then being able to take it and share it
with others. So it's a great opportunity when you go
when people go to hersh that you can just walk
(10:30):
through the doors and relax and forget about everything and
enjoy creating.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
I have to say, Kelly, your face lit up. You
are glowing now when you started talking about your goals
at Hersh Wellness and to see you could just tell
how much this has truly changed your life.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
It has. I couldn't be more thankful for Hersh. It's
been amazing. And the opportunities for me just keep growing.
I keep coming up with more and more ideas and
presenting them to Clay and yeah, I have a big
project that could grow into a big project that I'm
getting ready to start. So it's a lot of fun
and it's in it's community. We all work together. It's
(11:12):
all of Hirsh, all the people that come in, all
the people that work there, all the people that are involved.
Is just an amazing community.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
I do want to touch on the importance of having
something like Hirsh Wellness in our community. So often. I
know when my mom was going through cancer, I don't
want to see you forget there's a person there, but
you just get consumed with the medical and the getting
you to treatment and ABC and D that you forget.
You just want to drift away. Sometimes and not think
about it and have fun and smile. And that is
(11:44):
exactly what you guys are doing at Hirsh Wellness.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
It is and as I said, it's a safe community
for everyone to come up. Most times when the class
is going on or classes are going on there, they're
not necessarily talking about a diagnosis or treatment or anything
like that. It's just the regular day to day stuff
or the project itself. So here are a lot of
laughter coming out of the classroom at Revolution Mill each
(12:11):
each day that we have a class there.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
So we really look forward to it. All the people
that go, we really look forward to the classes. And
it is when we walk through the door, it's just
like we just leave our worries and our thoughts of
our diagnosis outside of the door. We go in there
and we create and have we just enjoy the time together.
And yeah, I couldn't be better. And it's a unique
(12:35):
thing to have a nonprofit that supports people as they
continue on their journey as a survivor long term survivors.
There's not that many things out there, so it's a
very unique nonprofit. That's just fabulous.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
You are making hearts happy all across North Carolina. Just
to hear your stories and how you're really changing lives
puts a smile on my face to see how it's
impacted you so much. Kelly and Clay, you get to
be a part of it every day. It's just wonderful
the work you guys are doing. Thanks, So, one more time,
we've got to bring up Art Lives here twenty twenty four.
When does it kick off? How can people even get
(13:12):
their tickets to the gala and bid and.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
All of that. Sure well, tickets for the gala are
actually on sale now on our website that's hersh Wellness
Network dot org. H I R. S ch Wellness Network
dot org. But also there on our website you can
find out everything about Art Lives here, about how to sponsor,
(13:36):
you can get a sneak peek at some of the artwork.
And then the real fun starts on September sixteenth, when
at three pm everyone's able to sign up to bid
and begin that bidding process on the pieces that they like.
And so we're looking forward to that a week and
half to two weeks of bidding and then culminating in
(13:59):
the gala event on September twenty eighth, from six to
eight pm at Revolution Mill, and I did want to
mention that Revolution Mill is one of our primary sponsors,
along with the DRII imaging the Breast Center in Greensboro,
so we appreciate their sponsorship.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Well, both of you, thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Thank you very much, Hannah.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
All right, we got Clay Thornton and we have Kelly
Joel hanging out with us today on another episode of
Carolina Cares