IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK!!!
Written by Barbara Lopez
New York State Director
Hey there Folks:
I have to tell you all about a visitor I had at the senior community where I work. I received an advertisement for a Daniel Rodriguez Concert. Daniel was known as the “Singing Policeman of 911”. He sang at the World Trade Center Memorial at Yankee Stadium and gained so much attention that he has appeared all over TV and performed nationally and internationally. The concert tickets were $40 a head and I knew my seniors couldn’t afford this. I checked out his website on the advertisement and for the heck of it, I emailed his agent. I advised them we were a non-profit senior community and since our seniors are on a fixed income, there was no way they could afford the ticket. Would Daniel be available to sing for us for free? I laughed as I hit the send button.
Within 15 minutes I had a reply … the message simply said “Sure! Call me”. I was floored! I immediately contacted his agent, Jerry, and the only date Daniel was available within the next month was St. Patrick’s Day. Now a quick lesson on booking entertainment for seniors on holidays; it’s very, very expensive. I actually booked their St. Patrick’s party for Thursday March 18th back in January, and had some ‘Irish Trivia Games” planned for the 17th.
When Jerry said Daniel would be happy to sing for us on St. Patrick’s Day at 3:00 in the afternoon (prime time for seniors!) and for free, I just held the phone and was speechless. It was done and booked! WOW-EEEEE KANOW-EEEEE AND WHOOOP-DEE-DOO! The day of the show, I was a wreck for fear of a no-show. I had my comedy skit prepared as back up, with all the jokes Joe sends me by email. At 11:00 a.m. I received a call from Daniel asking for directions. Again I was stunned! I even asked him, “Are you sure about this?” He laughed and said he’d see me around 2:00 with his pianist, Victoria. (Note: I didn’t realize it, but I received a voice mail while driving home … Daniel had called my cell early in the morning for directions, but I had it turned off. His voice is now permanently saved in my mailbox!)
True to his word, Daniel and Victoria showed at 2:00 and I escorted them into the Dining Room and let him check our sound system, which needs to be put to rest, poor thing! The seniors came out in droves and I warmed them up with some comedy. We had an all time attendance record of over 200 people. Daniel’s performance was amazing. He sang Broadway favorites and there wasn’t a dry eye when he sang the sweet notes of “Danny Boy”. For you Bocelli fans, he sang a beautiful version of “Con Te Partiro (“I’ll go with You”). But it was the final song of “God Bless America” that brought the house down.
His audience was held in awe as he sang; a pin could be heard out in the lobby. If you dared to make any noise, even coughing, you received a frown and a firm “shhh” from your tablemate.
He stayed to sign autographs and our seniors even bought his CD’s (some don’t even have a CD player but they wanted it anyway).
Daniel stated he was amazed at how many were in attendance and the extent of their happiness. I told him we forget that seniors have had past lives, a wonderfully cultured and patriotic generation that has, for the most part, been put on the backburner. When I told Daniel that this was the best concert in my twelve years with the company, he thoughtfully nodded and said he was going to look into doing more.
I can’t tell you what Daniel’s generosity did for my seniors. What a sweet, kind spirit (with a lot of humor!). They’re still talking about it and I’m so blessed to have been part of it.
Safe riding,
Barbara Lopez
P.S. By the way, when I told my boss that I booked Daniel for St. Patrick’s Day, he threw his hands up in the air and said “How much will this cost me now?” I simply said ‘It’s free” and sat back with relish and watched his face … there is a permanent imprint in the floor where his jaw dropped! It’s all good, folks!