A Night of Jazz benefits youth mission

Sole Purpose, a ministry of First Moravian Church of Dover, will present A Night of Jazz Music on Thursday, Oct. 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Patrick Kerssen Trio and Friends will provide the music as a fundraiser for the youth-oriented mission to provide socks and shoes for any student in Tuscarawas County kindergarten through eighth grade.

Pastor John Wallace said the group was formed in 2011 after Layne Gerbig observed there was a large number of students who did not own appropriate footwear. He went to the board of elders and asked if he could start a group to fund the essentials for young school children. They agreed to help him create the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Sole Purpose.

Wallace said the group started with only a few confirmation-age members but currently has about 10 active members who meet once a month to plan fundraisers and the particulars of getting the footwear to children.

“It takes a special person who lives a privileged life where you don’t ever have to worry about things like shoes to understand the unstated needs of others,” he said. “These kids do all of the work under the guidance of adult mentors and are learning that you have to grow into leadership. It has also given our young members a new cross-cultural understanding.”

Mentor Julie Pfeiffer said the group took a while to get established. They started by giving vouchers to 97 students. Now they give 1,000. Their first successful fundraiser was a chicken barbecue, she said.

“Since then we have added pancake breakfasts and the Sock Market, where church members could donate before and after services and receive an ornament,” Pfeiffer said. “Last year’s was a small wooden shoe carved and donated by church member Tom Armstrong. We have joined forces with Share-A-Christmas and TUFF Bags. Members now go out to tell the community about our mission and to ask for donations. Our goal for 2024 is to raise $35,000.”

“Service clubs have been most generous. The Exchange Club amazed us by donating $9,000 after listening to Thomas Peveto describe the program,” Wallace said. “In order to protect the privacy of those in need, we give vouchers instead of the actual shoes and socks. That donation enabled us to raise the amount. We were able to give each recipient from $20-$30.”

“For this fundraiser we are raffling six tickets for a Kent State Tuscarawas performing arts show, ‘Church Ladies in the Basement,’ and providing handmade quilts for bid in the silent auction,” Pfeiffer said.

Donations may be made beforehand through the church office, 319 N. Walnut St., Dover.

Current student leaders are Peveto, Rachel Pfeiffer and Ryan Yoder.

Peveto, a senior, said, “Whenever I am involved in a Sole Purpose project, I feel good at the end of the day. Kids at school can be really mean. I like making a difference in someone else’s day and practicing new leadership skills.”

Peveto is an offensive lineman for Dover High School’s football team, a member of the Teen Leadership Corps and plans to attend college to major in business or finance.

Pfeiffer, a junior, participates in soccer, basketball, track, mock trial and musical theater. “I want to make a difference,” she said. “Since I don’t struggle in my daily life, I feel it is my responsibility to help those who do. It keeps me active in my church community. We wish we could expand beyond giving to eighth-grade level, but while $30 helps a lot for young children’s shoes, it barely makes a mark at the price of teens’ footwear.”

Yoder, also a junior, said he was very quiet and shy when he began participating in his first of four years in the Sole Purpose mission. “Now I can go into a group and speak without feeling uncomfortable,” he said.

Yoder hopes to major in math in college. He and Wallace will MC the evening of jazz.

Tusky Valley Jazz Club band will join the trio for the concert, and jazz musicians from local schools are invited to join. The Patrick Kerssen Trio is based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where Kerssen is a music educator teaching a variety of music. A full-time professional musician as well, he is said to have a deep understanding of jazz, blues, classical and popular styles.

Admission to the Night of Jazz Music is free, and light refreshments will be served.