The Avalon Theater was alive with the sounds of music, laughter, and applause on April 21^st, thanks to Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s (TIS) 6^th Annual Lip Sync Battle Fundraiser.  The night ended with a bang, having raised a record breaking $41,000 in support of the shelter’s S4 Program (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success).

While not quite back to its original live format, the event returned to its roots, welcoming a limited audience in the same venue where they held the very first Lip Sync Battle.  However, in a demonstration of how much things have changed over the past two years, event organizers added a modern twist – a live stream for those who were more comfortable watching from home.

Those attending in person were treated to food from Eat Sprout and sweet treats from Blue Heron Catering, as well as snacks and beverages made possible by ACME, Giant Food, Harris Teeter, Blue Heron Coffee, Harrison’s Liquors, Hair O’ The Dog, and Kelly Distributors.  They also had fun at a digital photo booth provided by Foto Berry.

Hosts Jayme Dingler and Jay Hudson appeared live on stage and presented creative lip sync videos created by this year’s eleven contestants from throughout the community: the TIS Staff, the TIS Board, Father Nash from Saints Peter and Paul, Team Scout, brothers Noah and Zach, the Cash Queens from Shore United Bank in Denton, Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers, The AKAs, the Latin Honors SLAYciety from Easton High School, the Country School Faculty, and Amanda David from Edward Jones in Easton.

Contestants worked hard to earn votes in the form of donations leading up to the show, and both the in person and at-home audiences were able to vote throughout the show.  By the end of the evening, TIS had blown past previous fundraising records for this event, raising an astonishing $14,000 more than their previous record, which was set before COVID hit and the event had to be temporarily taken online.

At the end of the event, two awards were given out.  Father Nash was the Overall Winner, which goes to the contestant that raises the most money for Talbot Interfaith Shelter.  Incredibly, he raised more than $12,000 with his rousing rendition of Kyrie by Mr. Mister.  This is Father Nash’s second year winning the Overall Award.  The Country School Faculty won the People’s Choice Award.  In pre-COVID times, this trophy went to the team that got the most applause from the audience.  Due to half of the audience tuning in from home, this year the award was calculated by counting the number of individual donations each team received.  The Country School Faculty won over the crowd by “Rick Rolling” them with their fun take on Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up.

“We are thrilled,” says TIS Executive Director Julie Lowe.  “Beyond the funds raised, we were basking in the fact that our community could be together again.  One of the best parts of the Lip Sync Battle is that people from all over are in the same room, laughing and singing together.  While it wasn’t as big is in years past, nevertheless, it was so wonderful to sit in that room and be surrounded by love and joy.”

Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s 6^th Annual Lip Sync Battle was presented by Wells Fargo Advisors Easton, On Your Mark Lighting and Décor, Scrawl Design, The Hummingbird Inn, Bullock Construction, Eastern Shore Print Ship Connect, Charles Goebel Architect, Willow Construction, FBB Capital Partners, Kopen and Collison, Walmart Easton, and Spring & Associates.

Talbot Interfaith Shelter (TIS) is a homeless shelter and transitional housing program based in Easton, MD, and serving the five counties of the Mid-Shore (Talbot, Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne, and Dorchester).  Families and individuals staying with TIS are required to participate in the S4 Program (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success).  S4 guides guests step-by-step from homelessness to self-sufficiency by providing shelter, case management, connection to local service providers, and educational programming.  When guests are ready, they are invited to move into one of TIS’ off-site transitional apartments.  TIS partially subsidizes their rent, and they continue to receive rigorous case management and to participate in classes as they work gradually towards taking over their full expenses over the course of approximately two years.

To learn more about Talbot Interfaith Shelter and how you can help, visit talbotinterfaithshelter.org or contact Julie Lowe at [email protected] or 410-310-2316.

During the first three weekends in December, the community got into the holiday spirit at the Hummingbird Inn in Easton for the 2^nd annual Home for the Holidays winter festival.  This year’s event raised nearly $10,000 to benefit Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s S4 Program (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success), which guides local families and individuals from homelessness to self-sufficiency.

Attendees were mesmerized by the magical lighting display on the grounds of the Hummingbird Inn, designed and installed in partnership with On Your Mark Lighting and Design.  They enjoyed live musical performances each night from local musicians: The Allegra Women’s Choir, DJ Charles Thomas, The Julie Mack Jazz Duo, Tom Gerni and Natural Law, Ellie Rose and Makayla Faulkner, Edgemere, Easton Elementary Chorus, The Praisefest Chorale, Emma Bailey, and Jayme D.  Santa was “in the house” every evening, thanks to Ken Gresch and Greg Wilson, and Santa’s helper elf Caitlin Lankford joined him during the final weekend.

A plethora of sweet treats were provided by Eat Sprout, Blue Heron Catering, Kate’s Cookies, Lori Cuthbert, and Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s (TIS) own Director of Operations, Fran Doran.  Kids had lots of fun at the craft table, making their own ornaments to take home.  On Sunday, December 12^th and December 19^th, Tanglao Carriage Tours provided carriage rides through town, sponsored by Easton Economic Development Corp.

Shelter supporters sponsored the Walk of Lights, a luminary path stretching from the Hummingbird Inn on Aurora Street down Dover and Goldsborough Streets and leading into downtown Easton.  Some 400 luminaries lit the path for the first two weekends, until some unexpected rain damaged most of the displays.

This year, the whole town got in on the fun with the Downtown Easton Decorating Contest, in which nineteen downtown businesses and five homes competed for the community’s votes to determine who had the best holiday decorations.  The business participants were:  Deco Stephy, Storm & Daughters Ice Cream, Prim Salon and Boutique, Marc Randall & Co, Vintage Books, Shearer the Jeweler, A Happy Place, Dwelling & Design, Curlicue, Dragonfly Boutique, EC and Company and Elizabeth Claire Salon, Sailor, Lizzy Dee, Levity of Easton, An Optical Galleria, Trade Whims, La De Da, Justamere Trading Post, and Berrier Ltd.  The residential contestants were 107, 109, 111, and 118 Goldsborough Street and 9 N Aurora Street.  Vintage Books won the business contest, while 111 Goldsborough Street took home the prize for the residential contest.  Each received a $100 Downtown Easton Gift Card and dinner for two at Hunter’s Tavern.

“We are delighted by the results from this year’s event,” says TIS Executive Director Julie Lowe.  “It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces, and gratifying to know that we were able to raise $10,000 to help the families and individuals we serve to move out of homelessness and reclaim their independence.  We are grateful to all of the donors, sponsors, musicians, and of course, our incredible volunteers, without whom we could not have pulled off this marathon event!”

Talbot Interfaith Shelter (TIS) is a homeless shelter and transitional housing program based in Easton, MD and serving the five counties of the Mid-Shore (Talbot, Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne, and Dorchester).  Families and individuals staying with TIS are required to participate in their S4 Program (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success).  S4 guides guests step-by-step from homelessness to self-sufficiency by providing shelter, case management, connection to local service providers, and educational programming.  When guests are ready, they are invited to move into one of TIS’ off-site transitional apartments.  TIS partially subsidizes their rent, and they continue to receive rigorous case management and participate in classes as they work gradually towards taking over their full expenses over the course of approximately two years.

To learn more about Talbot Interfaith Shelter and how you can help, visit talbotinterfaithshelter.org or contact Julie Lowe at [email protected] or 410-310-2316.

The Easton Village Homeowners Association and Elm Street Development are pleased to announce a grant of $4,500.00 to the Talbot Interfaith Shelter (TIF). This grant will help TIF to expand its services to a larger number of mid-shore residents, many of whom became homeless for the first time as a result of economic pressures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Elm Street Development established the Easton Village Charitable Fund in 2006 as a way to give back to the community,” Vice President Mike Burlbaugh explains. “From the beginning it’s been a joint venture of our company and the people who buy homes or lots in Easton Village.”

The Easton Village Charitable Fund is an endowed fund managed by the Mid-Shore Community Foundation. A small percentage of price at the first-timesale of a lot or house funds the endowment, which currently exceeds $100,000.00. The fund also receives direct donations from individual Easton Village and Talbot County residents.

Ty Dickerson, acting president of the Easton Village HOA says: “We think this annual grant reflects the true spirit of Easton Village. We have always been a community of people who work together both for the benefit of our own neighborhood and Talbot County as a whole.”

To find out more about the Easton Village Charitable Fund, please contact Dorothy Whitcomb at [email protected].

On April 29^th, Talbot Interfaith Shelter (TIS) held its 5^th Annual Lip Sync Battle Fundraiser, but it looked a little different than it has in years past.  Due to COVID, it wasn’t quite time to bring it back as a live event, but they were still able to host an evening of entertainment for the community, which was their ultimate goal, according to TIS Executive Director Julie Lowe.

“This event means so much to TIS and to the community, and we knew that cancelling was not an option,” Lowe said.  “We felt that the most important thing – even more than raising money in support of our mission – was to do something that represented a return to joy after a tough year.  We just wanted to make people smile, and I believe we succeeded.”

This year’s Lip Sync Battle was held as a live stream event.  Eight competitors from all over our community submitted videos of themselves lip syncing to songs by artists as varied as Queen, Beyonce, The Four Tops, Gwen Stefani, and Matisyahu.  Some of TIS’ staff and Board Members also got in on the act, recording fun lip sync videos of their own, just for fun.

Viewers had the opportunity to enjoy dinner from local restaurants the evening of the show.  TIS partnered with Snifter’s, Out of the Fire, and the Washington Street Pub, each of whom offered takeout specials that allowed for a portion of the proceeds to be donated to the shelter.

Hundreds of people tuned in from home and got to vote for the winners by making a donation to TIS in honor of their favorite team.  At the end of the evening, two winners were announced:  The Overall Winner was the team that raised the most money for Talbot Interfaith Shelter, and the People’s Choice Award went to the team with the highest number of donors.  This year, one competitor won both awards  – Father Nash of Saints Peter and Paul won the audience over with his rendition of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love,” raising more than $15,000 to support Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s S4 Program (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success).  Altogether, participants raised $24,501 to help local families and individuals move from homelessness to self-sufficiency.

Each of the competing teams earned special awards in recognition for giving of their time and talents in the midst of a chaotic year.  The Cash Queens from Shore United Bank in Denton won the award for Best Costume.  2020 People’s Choice Award winners The AKAs (Alpha Kappa Alpha) won for Best Choreography.  Girls In Step, who won the People’s Choice Award in 2019, were recognized for the Most Creative video.  Jay Hudson of Blue Heron Coffee, a frequent co-host of the live Lip Sync Battle events, was awarded the prize for Most Hilarious.  This year’s youngest competitors, Noah and Zach, won the Most Inspiring Award for their uplifting song choice.  In addition to winning the main prizes of the night, Father Nash also received an award for the Best Microphone Skills.  The Country School Faculty, who have won the Overall Award twice in previous years, won the Most Nostalgic Award for their hilarious take on a classic scene from 90’s movie Wayne’s World.  Finally, Team TIS, which was comprised of members of Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s support staff, was given the Unsung Heroes Award for all of their hard work and dedication during a particularly challenging year.

This year’s event was presented by Wells Fargo Advisors Easton, On Your Mark Lighting and Decor, Eat Sprout, Scrawl Design, Hill’s Cafe and Juice Bar, The Hummingbird Inn, Bullock Construction, M&T Bank Easton, Charles Goebel Architect, Willow Construction, Charlestown AV, Bluepoint Hospitality, and Kopen and Collison.  For a list of all of the Lip Sync Battle Event sponsors, visit https://talbotinterfaithshelter.org/lip-sync-battle/.

To learn more about Talbot Interfaith Shelter and how you can help provide Shelter, Stability, Support, and a path to Success for local families and individuals in need, visit https://talbotinterfaithshelter.org/ or contact Julie Lowe at [email protected] or 410-310-2316.

Imagine having spent months or even years working your way back from homelessness, and coming within arm’s reach of self-sufficiency, only to have an unpredictable and uncontrollable event threaten everything you have fought so hard to achieve.  For many of the guests in Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s (TIS) S4 Program – Shelter, Stability, Support, Success -the COVID-19 crisis could have been a severe setback in their quest for financial independence.  Instead, their usual curriculum of classes in health, parenting, nutritional cooking, and poverty was supplemented with an equally important lesson in kindness, compassion, and community spirit.

Throughout the crisis, TIS has been pleasantly overwhelmed by support from the community.  Hill’s Café and Juice Bar provided weekly grocery boxes for the guests in their apartments.  Snifter’s Craft Beer and Wine Bistro prepared many meals for the families in our transitional housing and the guests at their shelter facility at Easton’s Promise.  Eat Sprout made frequent visits to drop off snacks and meals for shelter guests and staff members.  The University of Maryland Extension Program dropped off weekly meal kits with ingredients and recipes so that guests could continue to learn about nutritional cooking while self-isolating.  They also planted the raised beds in the backyard at Easton’s Promise – TIS’ shelter facility – with fresh vegetables for guests to enjoy.

Shelter supporters donated handmade reusable face masks and made sure that the shelter and apartments were always stocked with hard-to-come-by essentials like toilet paper and cleaning supplies.  Others created a meal fund so that the shelter could purchase food from local restaurants if needed.  These are but a handful of the myriad acts of generosity TIS has experienced over the past few months.

Some of TIS’ guests have written letters to thank the shelter’s donors, volunteers, and business partners for easing their anxiety and ensuring they had everything they needed.

“Covid 19 has been a very scary and stressful time in our lives, but having TIS as part of our daily resource, we have been able to stay safe and healthy,” said one mother.  “With the help of TIS and the local restaurants my 2 children and I have had full bellies, and big smiles every night!  We are so grateful for Talbot Interfaith Shelter and their staff/volunteers!!!! You truly take care of your own community!”

Another parent thanked shelter supporters for making it possible for the prolonged time with her family during the stay home order to be quality time.  “With the current pandemic affecting everyone and everything I believe the scariest part for me is knowing that my 2 1/2 year old son could contract COVID from something as simple as a run for milk or a forgotten ingredient for dinner.”  She continued, “Receiving food made it possible to spend more time with my family and less time in the kitchen. An absolute help and huge relief…  To all the organizations helping us during this pandemic, thank you and God bless you all. You show me that even when times are hard there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Executive Director Julie Lowe also thanked the community for embracing Talbot Interfaith Shelter in a time of need.  She said, “We have been humbled by Talbot County’s response to the COVID crisis.  Even while working hard to preserve their own health and livelihoods, our neighbors went out of their way to take care of others, not just at TIS, but throughout our community.  We are blessed to be surrounded by such extraordinary people.”

However, Lowe cautioned, “We believe that Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s response to COVID may just be in its early stages.  As things have opened up, we have already begun to see a big uptick in calls for shelter, even before the moratorium on evictions is lifted.  We anticipate that there will be many more in need of our services before the end of the year and are exploring ways in which we can expand our capacity to help as many people as possible to overcome this unprecedented challenge.  We know that whichever direction we choose, our incredible community will stand behind TIS and our neighbors to make sure they have everything they need to get back on their feet.”

Talbot Interfaith Shelter (TIS) is dedicated to ending homelessness on Maryland’s Mid-Shore by providing Shelter, Stability, Support, and a path to Success for families and individuals in need.  These are the tenets of TIS’ S4 Program, a long term, comprehensive program which is designed to guide guests from homelessness to self-sufficiency.  Guests start out at TIS’ shelter facility, located at a former bed and breakfast called Easton’s Promise.  There, they receive case management, are connected with necessary services, and participate in educational programming including health, parenting, and nutritional cooking classes, among others.  Once they have reached a certain level of financial stability, guests are invited to move into one of TIS’ ten off-site transitional apartments.  There, they begin by paying approximately $250 per month to start, while TIS subsidizes the remainder.  Over time, their portion increases, until they are able to take over the full rent and reach financial independence.

To learn more about Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s S4 Program and how you can help, visit talbotinterfaithshelter.org or contact Executive Director Julie Lowe at 410-310-2316.

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Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s Lip Sync Battle on April 18^th was set to be quite a spectacle.  In its fourth year, the Lip Sync Battle is an evening of great joy and togetherness that is shared by people from all across the community.  Due to concerns over COVID-19, TIS decided to cancel their live show on April 18^th.  However, that doesn’t mean the “battle” is off… in fact, TIS is moving full steam ahead, just in a slightly different direction.

Recognizing that things are uncertain, and that if there was ever a time when the community needed a little extra happiness, it is now, the shelter opted not to postpone the live event, but instead convert the Lip Sync Battle to an online-only competition.

Event organizer and TIS Marketing and Development Director Jayme Dingler had this to say about the change: “Admittedly, we were disappointed to have to cancel our live event, which, in addition to being our biggest annual fundraiser, also just means a lot to our participants and to the community as a whole.  But that disappointment was short-lived, as we realized we had an opportunity to make a greater difference.  Our mission is to lift up our neighbors in need.  Right now, all of our neighbors are in need, and this is something we can do to lift them up.”

Dingler says the new goal of Lip Sync Battle 2020 is to spread some happiness and comic relief by encouraging whoever is so inclined to create a lip sync video and share it, whether they decide to raise funds in support of the shelter’s mission or not.

She says, “We know that there will be a lot of people at home, looking for ways to fight boredom and entertain their families.  We want to give them something fun to do with one another, but we thought it would be equally important for people to know that they will be entertaining others, spreading laughter and joy to their neighbors and friends, and hopefully helping people to see that, although we might not be able to be with one another, we are still there for one another.”

Those who have purchased tickets to the live show have the option of receiving a refund for their purchase, or converting their ticket purchase to a donation to benefit TIS, which can be attributed to the Lip Sync team of their choice.  Ticket holder should reach out to 443-786-4676 or [email protected] to let TIS know what to do with their purchase.

For those who choose to “compete” by raising funds, TIS will stream live on Facebook on May 1^st to announce the winner – the team who raised the most money in support of its mission.

To participate by raising funds for Talbot Interfaith Shelter, contact Jayme Dingler at 443-786-4676 or [email protected] to find out how to get started.  To simply make a video to be shared with the community, either upload it to YouTube or Vimeo and send the link to [email protected], or upload it to Facebook and tag Talbot Interfaith Shelter, Inc and/or use the hashtag #TISLipSync2020.

To learn more about Lip Sync Battle 2020, watch the videos, play Lip Sync Roulette, or to vote by making a donation to TIS, visit talbotinterfaithshelter.org/lip-sync-battle/.

Talbot Interfaith Shelter (TIS) is dedicated to ending homelessness on Maryland’s Mid-Shore by providing Shelter, Stability, Support, and a path to Success for families and individuals in need.  These are the tenets of TIS’ S4 Program, a long term, comprehensive program which is designed to guide guests from homelessness to self-sufficiency.  Guests start out at TIS’ shelter facility, located at a former bed and breakfast called Easton’s Promise.  There, they receive case management, are connected with necessary services, and participate in educational programming including health, parenting, and nutritional cooking classes, among others.

Once they have reached a certain level of financial stability, guests are invited to move into one of TIS’ ten off-site transitional apartments.  There, they begin by paying approximately $250 per month to start, while TIS subsidizes the remainder.  Over time, their portion increases, until they are able to take over the full rent and reach financial independence.   To learn more about Talbot Interfaith Shelter and the S4 Program, visit talbotinterfaithshelter.org or contact Executive Director Julie Lowe at 410-310-2316.

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