Volunteer Profile Series: Eddie Shine

This holiday season, Chhandam would like to honor the outstanding contributions of some of our most energetic and committed volunteers!

Eddie has committed thousands of volunteer hours over the last decade to support the organization. Eddie has been involved with CDDC as far back as 1999.

Before she came to Chhandam, Eddie was heavily involved in community-based arts and for 10 years directed her own summer program for children, which included performing arts programming.  She was also actively involved with community theater, including such varied components as acting, singing, dancing, choreography, technical work and operatic singing.  Eddie also trained professionally in both theatre make-up and flower design.

Eddie brought this knowledge of the arts to her volunteer work with Chhandam. In earlier years, she offered her knowledge of arts administration to assist in writing grants for the organization.  As a professionally trained make-up artist, she has contributed her expertise to all of CDDC’s dance-dramas over the years.  Behind the scenes, Eddie is quietly painting the faces of all the performers as they run on and off stage, transforming one character to the next with her adept hand and swift brush-stroke! Eddie rarely gets to actually see the performances, as she remains back stage, intently focused on putting the finishing touches on Ravan’s moustache or Sugreev’s monkey face.  Eddie also brings her skill in flower design, and has been solely responsible for selecting and creating the beautiful flower bouquets and malas for each and every performance.  It is the small touches, like flower arrangements, and the care and precision invested in it, that make all of CDDC’s events so special.

Last but not least, she was the driving force and inspiration to her daughter, Celine Schein, the Executive Director of CDDC & Chhandam.  Thanks to Eddie, Celine was instilled with a deep love of the arts and the drive to tirelessly promote Kathak to the world.

Update!  
Eddie’s passion and philanthrophy for the arts extends far beyond Chhandam.  After accompaying Pandit Chitresh Das and Jason Samuels Smith on their tour to New Orleans, she cultivated a relationship with Janet Andrews – a woman who lost everything in Hurriance Katrina and who works with at-risk youth through dance projects at the New Orleans Dance Collective.  Since then, Eddie has been assisting her in grant-writing over the past 5 years and just this past month, through Eddie’s nomination and assistance,  Janet was named the 2011 New Orleans Angel, with an Angel Award given by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation for dedication to the children. This recognition comes with a $20,000.00 grant to New Orleans Dance Collective!!
Click here to read more about Janet
Eddie continues to offer her warmth and support to all of us at Chhandam and to the arts community by and large. Thank you Eddie for all that you do!

Posted in: Chhandam School of Kathak