From right to left: Shane, Emily, their daughter
Juneau (in utero) and their son Sawyer pause for a photo in front of the converted school
bus where they live and travel full-time. Shane and Emily's band, Arbour Season, partners with ChildFund to recruit sponsors for
children at their live concerts.
What do a bouncing baby, a wild toddler, a pair of acoustic guitars and one
renovated old school bus have in common?
They all make up the scenery of daily life for Shane and Emily Anderson, the husband-wife duo behind the
indie folk band Arbour Season. For them, home is a school bus, life is an adventure, faith is paramount
and children are everything.
“Childhood is important because it’s during these years that people become who they will be for the rest
of their lives,” Emily says. That’s why these “skoolies” care about making a difference for kids – and
why they are using their musical gifts to help ChildFund find sponsors for children around the world.
An unconventional love story
Shane and Emily didn’t always
live and travel full-time on a school bus. It feels like only a short time ago when they
first met at an open mic night in Florida and began playing together at Disney World
twice a week. As their connection deepened, so did their shared passion for music, and
Arbour Season was born. Today, one wedding and two kids later – Sawyer, 2, and Juneau, 3
months – Shane and Emily now play at coffee shops, house shows, theme parks, colleges
and other venues all across North America.
It was while on tour that they were first
approached by a representative from ChildFund’s LIVE! Artist
program.
“He met
with us over breakfast while we were in Nashville, told us everything about ChildFund,
and we were hooked!” Emily says. They were especially motivated by the way ChildFund
works hand-in-hand with families and communities to help them support their
children.
“Our family
is the most important thing to us,” Shane says. “I can’t help but see my son in others
who are hurting. I think to myself, ‘This could be Sawyer.’”
Shane and Emily signed on as LIVE! Artists
that day. They also decided to sponsor a child of their own, 6-year-old Silas in
Kenya.
Making an impact
Since partnering with ChildFund,
Arbour Season’s concerts look a little bit different. They’re more than just an
opportunity for fans to get together, celebrate music and have fun. They’ve become a
call to action. At every show, the band sets up a table with information about children
who are waiting for sponsors. Then, during the concert, Shane and Emily encourage
members of the audience to sponsor a child.
Having a
front-row seat to the magic of sponsorship has led to some pretty memorable experiences
so far. Once, Arbour Season played a house show in New Jersey, and someone at the show
decided to sponsor a child. A year later, when Shane and Emily went back to do another
show at the house, the sponsor was overjoyed to show off all the letters and photos they
had exchanged with their sponsored child over the course of the year.
“There was
so much pride and love in that relationship,” Shane says. “It’s not every day you get to
see the fruits of your labor, so that was a really cool moment.”
“It’s
not only something that happens within a child’s heart and future, but there is
something that happens in you when you sponsor a child,” Emily adds. “You make a
difference in someone’s life. You start to want to give more.”
As they
tour the country, inspiring others to help children, the couple hopes to pass the spirit
of giving on to their own kids.
Right now,
Shane says, they’re busy just being kids – playing with trains, jumping on trampolines.
But in time, “we definitely look forward to teaching them what it means to support
others,” he says. “We want to show them that the part you play in this world always
leaves an impact.”
