The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Sign choir raising funds for Orlando performance
An Elyria-based American Sign Language sign choir called Sharon’s Signers is asking the public to help fund a trip to Orlando, where the signers will perform June 1 at Make’m Smile.
Sharon’s Signers will host a spaghetti dinner Jan. 19 to raise funds toward expenses for their trip and annual operating expenses, according to Rebecca Miltenberger, the group’s executive director.
Make’m Smile is an event celebrating people with special needs, Miltenberger said.
Sharon’s Signers are expected to perform with other entertainers for over 50,000 attendees, she said.
Members of the sign choir are 14 years or older of all abilities, including those with special needs.
Miltenberger said her group of 21 members were invited to perform by Make’m Smile to celebrate life and those looking for hope.
“A lot of the kids have never been out of the state, or on a plane,” she said. “This will be an amazing opportunity and experience for them.”
Sales from the spaghetti dinner will help provide the funds for members and some of the guardian’s flights, as well as additional expenses for the trip, Miltenberger said.
“I’d love for them to do this and do something fun,” she said.
For more than 10 years, those of all abilities have been coming together as a group to perform in Elyria.
Miltenberger said the group started within the Special Education Department at Elyria City Schools under its original founder, where the students learned sign language.
Today, the participants, from many areas of northeast Ohio, are performing with music and drama using sign language to create unique shows for many occasions.
Miltenberger said they have given free performances including at schools, churches, festivals, conferences and nursing homes.
The Make’m Smile performance will be their biggest performance yet, next to performing at the Sprenger Stadium in Avon.
The opportunities for the sign choir have helped them create relationships with one another, Miltenberger said.
“Sign choir means the world to them,” she said. “This is an opportunity where they all feel included with others with and without disabilities.”
This group has made members feel that sense of belonging, while enriching their lives and giving it a whole new meaning, Miltenberger said.
“We want to show these kids and the community they have a purpose,” she said. “It’s an amazing group and I feel blessed to be a part of it.
“To see you’re making a differing in their lives when some may not have that positivity, (is a great feeling).”
The spaghetti dinner will rub from 5-8:30 p.m. at Abbe Road Baptist Church, 670 N. Abbe Road in Elyria.
Tickets will be available at the door or can be reserved by emailing sharonsigners@ yahoo.com.
A 50/50 raffle and Chinese Raffle will take place with prizes including a Lake Erie Crushers suite, tickets to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center.
The signers also will give two short performances of some of their favorite songs during the dinner.