If you’ve ever attended our Annual Benefit Dinner, you probably remember the Sisters singing a fun little song after dinner. You may even remember a snippet of a tune, or having laughed at a funny line, or tapped your foot to the beat.
Ever wonder who the ‘composer’ behind those songs was? Well, our very own Sister Jeanne Emmanuel, of course! Each year, Sister spends the days leading up to the dinner drafting the ditty to the tune of some well-known song or hymn, practicing with all the Sisters to in preparation for their performance. Always by her side is Sister’s trusty ukulele, which she plays when singing Happy Birthday to Residents, during rosary with a visiting youth group, or at holidays or play performances.
After attending the Annual Dinner for several years and enjoying Sister Jeanne Emmanuel’s musical talents, Bill and Amy O’Keefe were struck with an idea. Amy, an avid music-lover herself, had taken up the banjulele as a fun aside from practicing with her guitar, and had recently decided to retire the instrument. Having so enjoyed Sister’s performances with the ukulele, she thought the best home for the instrument would be with someone who would get great use out of it, and what better use than to bring music and smiles to the Residents of our Home?
Sister was thrilled by the gift, and can’t wait to begin her practicing for many more fun performances! We are so grateful to Bill and Amy for their generosity, and always thinking about the Home and our Residents.
