Acts Of Kindness Cabaret uses music, storytelling to raise money for area nonprofits

Take a little song, add a little dance, throw in a few laughs and a whole lot of kindness and you have yourself a show.

At least that is what Hilary Ann Feldman of Wheeling believes.

The founder and artistic director of Acts Of Kindness Cabaret donates her time and talents to help nonprofit organizations raise money.

According to its website, aokcabaret.org, in addition to the entertainment, the Wheeling nonprofit also provides sound and lighting, technical staff, setup crews, ushers, and even printed programs.

The group also offers virtual events with professionally recorded entertainment, script guidance and e-programs.

AOKC even works with the benefiting nonprofit to find a suitable venue for the show, as well as software to promote the fundraiser.

"If you're a nonprofit organization looking for a unique, inclusive, and effective fundraising opportunity, become an Acts Of Kindness Cabaret beneficiary," said Feldman in an email.

"AOKC performance events relieve you of much of the expense and bandwidth burden normally associated with live events, while providing you with top-quality professional entertainment that inspires your audience to give."

AOKC will be hosting a fundraiser for itself to help offset the costs of putting on their shows. The Benefit of Friends will take place Sunday, April 16, at the Center on Halsted in Chicago. There, patrons -- and possible future clients -- will get a taste of what the cabaret show is all about.

Tickets are available at aokcabaret.org.

Feldman discusses why she created Acts Of Kindness Cabaret and the upcoming fundraiser.

Q: What is Acts Of Kindness Cabaret? Give a brief overview of what the organization does and its history.

A: Acts Of Kindness Cabaret is a nonprofit group of professional performing and technical artists who use the art of modern cabaret to help others. We do that in two ways.

First, we create performances that we then offer up as fundraising events for other nonprofit organizations. In addition to the performance, we provide sound and lighting, a sound person, ushers, a crew, printed programs, and many other services, all at almost no cost.

In addition to those benefit performances, we also offer an educational outreach program. This program provides underserved high school students with a unique arts education experience while, at the same time, raising money to help keep performing arts alive in their schools.

In short, Acts Of Kindness Cabaret is a chain of musical kindness; artists doing good for people doing good for people.

Acts Of Kindness Cabaret is the brainchild of Hilary Ann Feldman who, as an artist, makes only a modest living. She never had the means to write checks to organizations she saw doing good work. So she and her like-minded colleagues donate their time and talents instead. AOKC has been providing its unique brand of kindness since 2005.

Q: What are some of your programs or shows?

A: At any given time, Acts Of Kindness Cabaret may have two to four shows on offer. Shows are offered in two different formats: one-act with no intermission or two-act with a 15-minute intermission.

The nonprofit can use the performance as their entire event, or as the hub of a larger event with other activities. Show themes are broad to appeal to a wide audience, and encompass music from all genres and eras tied together into a neat package with a beginning, middle, and end.

Cabaret is all about storytelling, which is essential to the life of a nonprofit. It is also an intimate art form. Performers are on stage as themselves. They talk directly to the audience, sharing information about the music and their connections to it.

By the end of the evening, the audience has shared an experience and gotten to know the performers a bit. AOKC performances are enjoyed by teenagers and octogenarians alike. They make you laugh, cry, and take you on an entertaining journey.

Current shows include:

• "Have We Got a Story for You!"

• "A Little Help From My Friends"

• "Life ... Sunny Side Up!"

Q: What organizations do you help?

A: We have given nearly 80 performances that have benefited 56 unique Chicago-area nonprofit organizations.

We are open to helping any Chicago-area nonprofit, except for those with political or religious missions. However, if your church or synagogue supports a community organization (e.g. a homeless shelter), we are more than happy to do a performance at your house of worship to benefit that organization.

Q: How can a nonprofit sign up for your services?

A: The easiest way is to fill out an application on our website, www.aokcabaret.org. You will then be contacted by our artistic director, Hilary Feldman, who will want to hear about the good work your organization is doing, answer your questions, and talk about how to move forward. No obligation.

Q: Do you have any upcoming fundraisers or shows?

A: We are still solidifying our 2023 benefit performance calendar. However, we do an event once per year for ourselves, so we can continue our good work.

That event, The Benefit of Friends, is from 3:30-6 p.m. Sunday, April 16, at the Center on Halsted at 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The event will feature an AOKC performance and include food, cash bar, and a spectacular raffle.

Tickets, which range from $35-$70, will be available on our website.

This event is an outstanding opportunity for nonprofits to see exactly what we do and how we do it. If you are a nonprofit rep, you can attend this event for just $20.

Q: How can readers help with your organization?

A: We are tiny, even by tiny nonprofit standards. All help we receive, in whatever form we receive it, is incredibly valuable and much appreciated. Here are the main ways folks can be helpful:

• Donate money. Private donations are our primary source of funding because all ticket sales go to the organizations we help.

• Donate time. We always need volunteers on performance days, helping with setup, teardown, and other tasks. Schlepping is involved, but you get to see a show for free!

• Donate a service. Are you a photographer, videographer, graphic designer, copywriter, web designer, or social media expert? We'd love your help on a project or ongoing basis.

• Join our board. We are currently expanding our board of directors and are looking for energetic, enthusiastic new members. We especially need someone with marketing expertise, fundraising skills, and those who are fearless at forming connections with others.

Q: What else would you like readers to know?

A: Kindness matters. Music matters. Stories matter. Philanthropy matters. At Acts Of Kindness Cabaret, we combine all these things to do what we can with what we have. In the end, that's all any of us can do.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is every wasted." -- Aesop

This is how we change the world, one act of kindness at a time.

Acts Of Kindness Cabaret

What: Acts Of Kindness Cabaret fundraiser

When: 3:30-6 p.m. Sunday, April 16

Where: Center on Halsted in Chicago, 3656 N. Halsted St.

Cost: $35-$70 for the general public; $20 for nonprofit representatives. Tickets are available at aokcabaret.org.

To learn more: Visit the website to learn more about how to hire Acts Of Kindness Cabaret for your next fundraiser and for a rundown of their shows.