The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet To Come teamed up to raise $5012.37 for Mary’s Place annual crowdfunding campaign to bring

homeless families in from the cold this winter.

The cast and crews of Bishop Blanchet’s production of A Christmas Carol, the Musical, which ran December 9-11 at the Moore Theatre in downtown Seattle took donations for the cause after each of its three performances.

Director/producer Mo Mershon spoke before each production about Charles Dickens’s intent to raise the conscience of a nation about the plight of London’s poor.  He felt he could use the vehicle of a novella about the true spirit of Christmas to inspire Britain to look after its neediest citizens.

“When I was researching why Dickens wrote this story,” said Mershon, “I found the author’s desire to help the poor of London, especially the children. Dickens himself came from a poor family, and his father was put into debtor’s prison, just like Scrooge’s father in the story.”

The parallels between the poor of Victorian London and the poor of contemporary Seattle were not lost on either Mershon or her cast and crews.

The young Thespians were told 500 families, mostly single mothers and children sleep outside in tents, cars, and doorways every night in Seattle and greater King County. The No Child Sleeps Outside campaign hopes to raise $500,000 to provide shelter for the families throughout the cold, dark winter.

• For every $10,000 they raise, 25 families can get the down payments they need to move in to transitional or permanent housing
• $250,000 can fund our ongoing work to provide emergency shelter and services to the 400+ women, children, and families that come to our door every day
• $500,000 will pay for a crisis-response night shelter for one year to bring families experiencing homelessness inside to safety, and provide 36,000 additional bed nights for families in need next year (100 beds)
• $1,500,000 can open another 24/7 family center to offer comprehensive housing and employment services

One of the most poignant moments in the show comes when the whole cast sings about the importance of taking care of one another.

“‘Til each child is fed, ’til all men are free,” sang the cast, “’til the world becomes a family. Star by star, up above, kindness by human kindness. Light this world with their love, and God bless us, every one.” 

Mershon initially felt conflicted by the prospects of the collection.  On one hand, she felt that it needed to happen because it was in the true spirit of Dickens’s intention of the story. On the other hand, she felt she was asking too much since the audience had already purchased tickets.  The audience, however, felt otherwise.

“I did not know what to expect when I announced it from the stage,” said Mershon, “but when they began to cheer , I knew we had made the right choice.”

Mershon had originally thought that they would raise about $500, but when that amount was more than doubled at the end of the first night, the producer found herself humbled by the generosity.

“I am always amazed by the generosity of the Blanchet community,” said Mershon.

The campaign runs throughout the month of December.  If you were not fortunate enough to have attended one of the shows, you can still live in the spirit of the Christmas Past, Present, and Yet To Come by joining the effort to house homeless by going to www.NoChildSleepsOutside.org to make a donation.