Day of Giving is tomorrow, May 6

Photo by Sally Bozzuto

Four years ago, five handbell musicians got together after a rehearsal to talk about a dream—forming Three Rivers Ringers, Pittsburgh’s premier handbell ensemble. We wanted to expand the boundaries of our instrument’s repertoire, enhance handbell education throughout the region, and share our love of performing with the community. We also placed an emphasis on creating a solid, independent organization that would stand the test of time. Today, through your generous support we have reached some of those goals.

Our concert programming breaks the traditional framework that handbells are often constrained by. From groundbreaking presentations like Andy Seay’s Gift of the Magi to showstoppers like Stars and Stripes Forever, from contemplative to crazy, Three Rivers Ringers can do it all. We’ve expanded the Western Pennsylvania Handbell Festival over the past three years, helping hundreds of ringers to develop their ringing skills. Finally, in our first four years, we have never had a budget deficit; fiscal responsibility is a high priority to our Board of Directors.

From the very beginning, one of our goals has been to purchase our own set of instruments. We are proud to announce that this February that dream became a reality, when we took delivery of our own 6-octave set of Schulmerich handbells and 3-octave set of handchimes. By owning our own equipment, Three Rivers Ringers is now less dependent on borrowing instruments for rehearsals and performances and has a stable foundation to build upon for the future. We’d like to send a special “thank you” to those of you who have already given to our 2014 Annual Fund who are helping us achieve these goals.

Three Rivers Ringers has accomplished a lot over the past four years, but we still have big dreams ahead. To make these dreams a reality, we need your support. The Pittsburgh Day of Giving is tomorrow, Tuesday, May 6, 2014 from 6:00am–11:59pm. All gifts made via www.pittsburghgives.org (MasterCard or Visa only) to Three Rivers Ringers on May 6th will be matched on a prorated basis by a matching pool administered by The Pittsburgh Foundation. If you have not done so already, please consider supporting our 2014 Annual Fund by making a gift to Three Rivers Ringers tomorrow on the Day of Giving.

Thank you for your consideration and your support. We hope you’ve been able to make one of our concerts this spring, and if not, there is one more chance to see our fantastic concert!