Voices of Our City Choir

Before our #AGT whirlwind began, we got a chance to sing and record a music video for the song Thinking ‘Bout Love by Wild Rivers. It sounds SO great - what a special day that was. Thank you, Wild Rivers, for including us in your music-making journey. We are grateful for you and your on-going support for the choir. Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/dvNS4KpIrac Also, check out the new song, Pink Shades, out now. Pink Shades is a message for anyone who is in a dark p...lace and doesn’t know where to turn to. All you can do is keep trying. Listen here: https://wildrivers.ffm.to/pinkshades

#TBT Throwing it back to our in-person choir rehearsals before the lockdown. We miss this so much! The energy and love present at our weekly choir rehearsals were truly uplifting. Thanks to virtual web conferencing we are still able to do classes and rehearsals with our choir members, but we can't wait to be back together again. #VoicesOfOurCityChoir #SanDiego #NonProfit #Homeless #Choir #Advocacy #Music #MusicTherapy #Sing #AintNoStoppingUsNow #Soulmusic #Voices #homelessnessisnotacrime

When life gives you COVID-19, make lemonade. Congrats to all of our piano students who completed this ten week course. We are so proud of you.

Who wants piano lessons? We do! Through a grant provided by the @CityofSanDiego Commission for Arts and Culture, we were able to purchase 25 small Casio keyboards. Thanks to this gift, we were able to offer a 10-week, virtual piano lesson program, taught by Francesca Valle, in which members learned the fundamentals of reading music and playing chords. After the 10-week program concluded, the students participated in an outdoor, socially-distanced recital, where they were aw...arded a certificate of completion for all of their hard work! Voices of Our City Choir is all about music, of course, and our members LOVED the piano lessons. They can't wait for the next session! Congratulations to all our VOICES pianists! Help keep programs like these going with a gift of your own. Visit voicesofourcity.org/donate

GO BEHIND THE SCENES! Have you seen the music video for the song Thinking ‘Bout Love by Wild Rivers? Check out behind the scenes footage from the shoot. We had a blast working on this project with them. They have a new video out now for their new song Pink Shades: https://youtu.be/8cMNaaOZB48

Join Voices of Our City Choir in wishing Steph Johnson, our executive and creative director, a very happy 40th birthday! Our work is possible because of her tireless efforts to share our unsheltered neighbors' stories and, together with our community partners, positively impact the world.

Today is World Homeless Day. We at Voices of Our City Choir hope surfacing these topics have not only made you feel connected to the cause, but entices you to make a true difference for the well-being of San Diego. On October 10th people around the world have marked this day as a way to change lives, and San Diego is no exception. Thank you from all of us!

Over the course of the last week, we’ve wanted to share how our efforts have made a difference. Thank you for your support on #WHD.

1 day until world homeless day. Today is centered around changing the public perception of homelessness. One of the biggest focuses of our organization is to help break the stereotypes and change the narrative around being unsheltered. Many assume that being homeless is a result of addiction of other choices made by an individual, which created a narrative that can be difficult to relate or empathize with. ... You can read a part of Mark’s story here as there are many like his.

Day 2.. Our advocacy programs in both the community and our peers!! Our community advocates - What started as 12 members struggling to find a voice in legislation, angered but looking for ways to make a difference - has become a lofty 100+ member organization trained to tell their truth while lifting every voice in a huge way. We share our truth to move policy!! Our peer advocates work collectively to represent the unsheltered community while mentoring one another, walking t...he path with them, and connecting with others struggling to recover from homelessness who are requesting case management. Together, you can help us make a difference to keep these advocacy programs running, and to help them grow. Voicesofourcity.org/donate

One of the greatest things about being involved in the cultivation of a nonprofit, from the ground up, is the volunteerism spirit and that permeates throughout. A lot of people are not aware that the individuals we aim to serve are often volunteers serving the community and choir itself. Please join us in celebrating a few of our choir members, and one of our long time music partners who all volunteer their time together to keep our members in joy, health, and in their cre...ativity. And as always.. help us continue the work we do with your donation. Voicesofourcity.org/donate

4 days to World Homeless Day, and this is how we change lives through the power of music. Due to the pandemic, we are now hosting our music programs via ZOOM - although we’d all love to hold hands and hug as you see we often do. This countdown has given us the time to reflect on all the ways we have grown into an organization while sharing with you our mission of changing the perception and experience of homelessness through the healing power of the arts. At the center of... everything, we offer our unsheltered neighbors our energetic, community-oriented, choir practice. Many choir members have shared with us that they’ve never felt loved the way they do now. To keep our music programs and advocacy programs going, a simple donation can go a long way. Voicesofourcity.org/donate

Day 5 of our our 7 day countdown to World Homeless Day.. Today, we are highlighting our phone charging stations. We currently charge 100-200 phones a day in our community. This way our unsheltered neighbors can stay connected to resources and information that will help keep them alive. Thanks to our volunteers who have helped develop a system for pick up and drop off of these phones, with our without a cord. You can help these individuals stay connected with a donation. Voicesofourcity.org/donate #whd

Day 6 of our countdown to World Homeslees Day: Bright and early Monday morning, Voices of Our City Choir members and Living Water Church volunteers arrive with multiple vans and trucks at the San Diego Food Bank. We are shopping for the Monday food distribution that will serve a few hundred individuals. The trucks load up and make there way to the church, where people are already getting in line. Volunteers unload and then begin to organize the allotment of canned goods, f...resh fruit and dry goods. It will be a good day if meat, eggs and/or dairy are also available. The individuals and families we support through this nutrition program are so grateful for the bounty. There are greetings and smiles exchanged while individuals walk through the line. Although we are socially distanced and masked, the power of community and support is everywhere. Food scarcity is a real problem. 100s of thousands of San Diegans face it every day. When the pandemic hit, and the quarantine orders first went into effect, our unsheltered neighbors faced hunger like never before. So everyone at VOICES went into action. Now in our 8th month of offering this expanded nutritional support program, we are reaching over 1000 individuals every week! And thanks to your generosity and ongoing support, we are able to continue to meet the needs of our unsheltered neighbors. Please consider donating to our programs and services at

Our Programs Director Beck Amensen, on behalf of Voices of Our City Choir, recently presented Mimi's Kitchen with the Certificate of Awesomeness. For being our nutritional support program champion by providing meals to San Diego’s unsheltered neighbors through Voices of Our City Choir. Mimi is always there for us. A million thank yous! Get your own Voices merch at our online shop. Every purchase helps us continue programs serving our unsheltered neighbors. Visit voicesofourcity.org/shop