MHS show choir organizes “pay-it-forward” project

Staff
Posted 4/27/17

MENDOTA – The lowly plastic grocery bag has been given a new purpose at Mendota High School.

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MHS show choir organizes “pay-it-forward” project

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Two of the original “Bag Ladies” display a mat crocheted from plastic bags at their church in Union City, Tenn. The mats are given to the homeless. (Photo contributed)

MENDOTA – The lowly plastic grocery bag has been given a new purpose at Mendota High School. In planning their upcoming Pops n Pasta concert, the MHS Rhythm Express show choir focused on bringing about positive change, both through their music selections and also through a pay-it-forward project being done in conjunction with the concert.

Show choir director Lori Schrock said they are especially looking forward to this year’s show because it includes a sense of purpose. “It’s extra-special because it seeks to provoke a very visceral response,” she explained. “We are performing popular music that reflects the angst in our modern times. The lyrics speak of confusion, civil upheaval, divisiveness, poverty - and hope for peaceful solutions.”

As the show progresses, Schrock said they hope the music prompts some self-reflection within audience members. The show ends with the question, “What are we going to do about all of this?”

“The show is very ‘real’ and begs of us to become positive agents of change,” Schrock noted. “The students are so very excited to be using their gift of performance to bring this show to our community.”

Songs with meaningful lyrics were purposely selected for the concert and include “Land of Confusion” (Genesis), “No One Together” (Kansas), “Til We Reach That Day/Make Them Hear You” (from Ragtime), “Peace Train” (Cat Stevens), “21 Guns” (Green Day), “Where Is the Love” (Black-Eyed Peas), “If You're Out There” (John Legend) and “Right Now” (Van Halen).

Taking the idea of positive change full circle, the show choir is saving used plastic shopping bags that will be donated to the “Bag Ladies” at Oak Glen Christian Church in Peoria. The ladies will crochet the bags into mats and blankets for the homeless. “The students are so invested and excited to be involved in this project!” Schrock emphasized.

To help them with this effort, the show choir is urging everyone to join them and save their plastic shopping bags. The bags will be collected at the Pops n Pasta concert on May 13.

The Bag Ladies concept started when a group of church ladies in Union City, Tenn. began crocheting sleeping mats from used shopping bags for the homeless. Their goal was twofold: to positively impact the environment by recycling plastic bags to reduce waste and to serve the homeless community by giving them sleeping mats. Meeting once a week, the ladies cut the plastic bags into strips, tie the strips together and crochet them into 3 by 6-foot mats. Each one takes about 700 to 800 plastic bags.

Schrock said their project drew national attention and was featured by many news outlets. This sparked interest throughout the country and inspired other bag lady groups to form such as the one at the Oak Glen Christian Church in Peoria.

The Pops n Pasta concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 at the MHS auditorium. The public is invited.