By Maddie Greer
Jan. 10, 2025 – Mark your calendars for next Friday, Jan. 17, because the Georgia on My Mind annual benefit is back at Victory North for its third year of incredible lineups, celebrating the community, and lending a helping hand. This year’s efforts will support Emmaus House, a local nonprofit providing essentials to individuals in our community experiencing homelessness. I sat down with Arianna Berksteiner, Executive Director of Emmaus House, and Andrew Sovine, one of the show’s organizers and performers, to talk about round three of the local music celebration and its mission.
“I’ve always been a firm believer that a rising tide lifts all ships.” Sovine says when I ask him about Georgia on My Mind’s origins. “So I just remember looking at Stan (Ray) and Eric (Britt) and being like, ‘How can we take the talents we have and put on a cool show, but have it mean even more?’ And we knew it was important to us to keep it in the community and to celebrate an organization doing good work in the area. Other than that, we had no idea what we were doing the first year, but I’d like to think it went okay.”
“How could it not?” Berksteiner prompts us both. “The missions seem to be so connected, just in that when you think about Georgia on My Mind and local artists, you think about individuals who are from our city that love music so much and found success there. But there are incredibly talented artists and musicians living on these very same streets. So for a lot of folks, this event sort of demonstrates the connections between art, community, and charity and the humanity of it all. I think that’s the beautiful thing about this night. You get to walk away having experienced those connections.”
Emmaus House provides hot meals, clean clothing, and warm showers to clients living in shelters, homeless camps, or other unhoused circumstances. Proceeds from the event will directly help support these endeavors, but for Berksteiner, the show is about more than that.
“More than anything, we just need to spread awareness about what we do. We need the public to know us so we can help them dismantle these preconceived notions about homelessness. So for this particular event, it’s about giving visibility to a group of programs, processes, and people that are invisible most of the time. If you’re shining a light on Emmaus house, you’re shining a light on my friend who slept on the street the night before. So by giving us access and resources, you’re giving them to her. And when I say ‘friend,’ I mean it. We serve five hundred folks a day, and I can confidently name most of them. We’re so intensely connected to our population the more attention we can get for what we’re doing, the more support we can give to our neighbors that need it.”
And if you can’t attend the show, fear not– there are still a few ways you can help. For one, up until the night of the performance, Victory North will be accepting donations of non-perishable food items on behalf of Emmaus House’s pantry. However, if you’re unable to give, Berksteiner has some helpful advice for us.
“When it boils down to it, it’s about acknowledgment. Walking through the squares, I watch as people pull into themselves as they sit completely overlooked and wishing they weren’t there. I need people when they’re passing by someone on a bench or the ground, to just stop and smile. Say ‘good morning’ like you would anyone else who was wearing a suit and tie. That’s it. So yes, it’s great that people love the show and coming to the event, but if anyone leaves with homelessness on the top of their mind and acknowledges a person on the way to their car– that’s all I wanted. So that’s why events like Georgia on My Mind spreading awareness about organizations making a real difference is empowering for us as individuals. Because I don’t think ignoring people experiencing homelessness necessarily always comes from a place of evil. But there’s this thing like, ‘oh god, if I make eye contact, then I’m taking responsibility for this, and I have no clue how to do that.’ But the idea is even if you’re not in a position to help someone right then, you can tell them where they can go for a meal or other resources. And that’s one more thing that’s in your toolbox you didn’t have before.”
Those planning to attend can expect to hear music originally by Georgia greats like Johnny Mercer, Ray Charles, James Brown, Widespread Panic, Sugarland, and many more. All songs will be performed by some of your favorite local artists like Susanna Kennedy, Charles Maring, and even the great Dolette McDonald, who sang with both The Talking Heads and Sting.
Georgia on My Mind and its organizers are proud to partner with incredible sponsors like Waters Cafe, Film Biz Recycling, Victory North, and The Savannah Music Collective. Their support not only makes this event possible but amplifies its mission of fostering community and compassion.
To stay up to date on Emmaus’s House’s operations, make sure you join their newsletter.
About the author
Born and raised in Savannah, Maddie Greer likes to write about her deep-rooted love for the city’s vibrant culture and history. With a passion for uncovering stories that celebrate Savannah’s thriving music and art scenes, Maddie enjoys shining a spotlight on the creative lifeblood of the community. Whether amplifying local voices or exploring beyond the city’s moss curtain, she brings an authentic, homegrown perspective to her work with Savannah Agenda.
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