CityView Magazine

50 | November/December 2016 ing holiday and the days off from school for more rehearsals be- fore the show. Like we said, pure dedication. is year two perfor- mances will take place on November 26th and one on November 27th. "It's a good weekend to kick off the Christmas season," Ste- vens said. Year aer year, when the show is over, Stevens believes Christmas can officially begin. Humble beginnings is is the 18th year of e Heart of Christmas Show, which started with one idea Stevens had in 1999. Stevens entered Voices of the Heart in a national competition at the Alabama eater. She was nervous and uncertain, not about the girl's abilities, but because they were in competition against adults. She whispered, "Lord, show me," and, well, Voices of the Heart won the competi- tion. Stevens told the girls, "is means nothing if you can't do something good with it." And by "good" she meant giving back. "I wanted to make a dif- ference in children's lives." e original plan was to perform one benefit show. Stevens had two sponsors. e theme would center around Christmas and the money would go to local charities help- ing sick and abused children. Remembering the first show, Ste- vens laughed, "It was a Charlie Brown Christmas tree compared to today." e show, raised from scratch, is now a success. e original two sponsors have grown into over 300. "People were wary be- cause they know how hard it can be in this city and in this market to create something, but once they saw what we do and what we say, more and more people came on board." An audience in awe And Stevens knew the point when it all changed. It was a "marked moment." "It was about five or six years ago," she said. "It was the last song. It was the finale. Usually, because of traffic in the parking lot Cape Fear Crematory, Inc. More cost effective than traditional burial We offer private family viewings Affordable direct cremation Services available 24 hours Family owned and operated for 34 years 6765 Sandy Creek Road | Stedman, NC 28391 | 910.323.8898 | www.capefearcrematory.com "Where compassion and care run the business"

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