Donna, thank you so much for your tribute to the American Veteran in your song For You and For Me. I am a U.S. Army Viet Nam Era veteran and your song really hit home with me. It was a long time ago, but I still remember the anguish suffered by many families of those killed in action. God Bless You.
Attended the coffee house in Rome last night & didn't want it to end. Fantastic performances by Donna & Nick.
When I first heard Donna sing and play her guitar, I was impressed with her voice that reminded me of the one similar to Loretta Lynne’s. It was delightful to the ears and soothing to the heart, crystal clear as the pure waters of the Adirondack Rivers she grew up around. She has a firm feminine and prophetic voice in her Gospel songs, deeply sensitive and poetic in her unique compositions, of high quality and impeccable in her performance of contemporary music; the precious inheritance of her charming nature. Her magic fingers transform an ordinary tune into a noble work of art and talent. She sings with enthusiasm, a captivating smile and from the depths of her heart. One can listen to her sing popular tunes for hours without even perceiving the time passing by. She is a wonderful entertainer of an attractive and lovely personality.
As a fellow instrumentalist and singer, and a Viet Nam veteran, I find Donna's song For You And For Me to reawaken my support for our active duty servicemen and veterans every time I hear it. GO GIRL!
Donna's song "For You and For Me" artfully puts into words what I feel each time I hear the bad news that another soldier has fallen. It's what a tribute should be, sincere and moving. -Mary Ann Smith
Donna, thank-you for your song "For You and For Me" what a better way to say thanks to our troops for doing what they do, for you and for me. You have a voice of an angel, and I love listening to you sing.
Donna MucksVERONA — Singer/songwriter recording artist Donna Mucks performs a benefit concert from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday in the the Verona Presbyterian Church. It will include the premier of her song about the Helping Hammers.
A free will offering will be taken at the door for the Helping Hammers Collaboration.
Helping Hammers is the cooperative effort of five churches to repair and improve houses in and around the Oneida-Rome-VVS triangle. Trained and supervised work crews assist persons with physical and/or income limitations needing improvements in safety, access or energy conservation in the home they own.
Helping Hammers gathers the talent, labor and donations from volunteers and is a collaboration of Mt. Vernon, Cochran Memorial, Rome, Oneida and Verona First Presbyterian Churches. Since November of 2009, the group has assisted eight clients with repairs ranging from painting tasks to building a ramp.
Organizers said Mucks, from Forestport, (www.sunnyrockshoresmusic.com), "has become quite a story teller with her songs, sharing her personal experiences, as well as giving life to stories shared by friends and relatives that have captured her heart. In fact, when Peg Ward shared the story of Helping Hammers with her, she went home and wrote a song for them which will premier at this benefit concert."
Ward said, "As a friend of Donna I have watched her third career blossom. The impact that her music has had on the lives of many is heartwarming. We are very excited to have the opportunity to host Donna and to raise funds for such a worthwhile cause as Helping Hammers."
Since it is the day after Veterans Day, Donna will do several songs, including her original For You and For Me, to honor and thank those who serve and who have served.
On the net: www.sunnyrockshoresmusic.com
VERONA — “They do windows, they do doors / They do stairs, and even floors / They do roofs, they do siding / They do decks, all with God guiding,” musician Donna Mucks sings on her brand-new song “Helping Hammers.”
Mucks will perform that song, along with other folk-based Christian, patriotic, and audience-participation numbers, at a benefit coffeehouse for the Helping Hammers Christian outreach on Friday, Nov. 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Verona First Presbyterian Church.
Helping Hammers — a mission of the Oneida, Rome, Verona, and Mount Vernon First Presbyterian Churches and the Cochran Memorial Presbyterian Church in Oneida Castle — fields a workforce of volunteers to help area persons in need of renovations around their homes who might otherwise not be able to pay for the repairs.
Peg Ward, certified lay preacher of the Verona, Mount Vernon, and Oneida Castle congregations, said Helping Hammers started last November and within their first year have already performed eight separate jobs including the construction of a wheelchair ramp, roof leak repairs, and painting.
She said the outreach mission was inspired by a call she received in October 2009 about a Verona resident who was faced with the threat of losing the insurance on his home because he couldn’t afford to make the repairs his insurance company ordered. The job was completed by church volunteer workers and the outreach expanded from there.
“We did that repair project, and it took off running from there as we found other people in the area who were also in need. We have handled most of the requests we’ve gotten for help, although a few have been out of our range. We expect to have 10 projects completed by the end of the month,” Ward said.
Gary Onyan, one of Helping Hammers’ crew chiefs, said he has traveled to Delaware with a group from the Utica Presbytery for the last 12 years, helping out people there who lived in low income housing. The workers often talked about starting up a similar outreach here in Central New York, so when the plans for Helping Hammers came along last fall he brought his workmanship expertise aboard to help guide the work crews.
“This is all about being able to help someone who is in need,” Onyan said.
The Ellen’s Closet thrift store at the Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church in Vernon was set up in September to raise funds for the Helping Hammers project, and they have already contributed $500 to the cause, Ward said. Ellen’s Closet will offer a special sale the weekend of the coffeehouse, she added, and they‘ve recently received many high-quality items from local donors.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Mucks is an avid volunteer with the Sherrill-based KEYS Program for young cancer patients who was recently seen onstage in concert performing a duet with rising Nashville star Katie Quick at the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School. She said she knew Ward through their work together with the American Red Cross, and when Ward told her of the need for a fundraiser for Helping Hammers, Mucks not only agreed to perform but wrote the “Helping Hammers” theme song especially for the event. Continued..
