In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness month, Fort Wayne music legend Sunny Taylor and friends are hosting a grand night of female-driven entertainment and empowerment to benefit Jennifer’s Harbor, a local women’s crisis center founded by Deb King.
The gala, aptly named She Rocks the Fort, takes place Sunday, Oct. 20 at the Clyde Theatre.
A longtime favorite on the city’s vibrant music scene, Taylor thrives on live performance, including her pet project, the femme-forward rock band Whoa, Man.
Her passions drive her love of teaching and connecting, she admits, making her a fierce advocate for women’s empowerment.
Jennifer’s Harbor, the brainchild of Deb King, offers hope and healing to its clients, with a mission to protect, transform and inspire.
Here, WBOI’s Julia Meek discusses the critical mission and message behind this grand celebration with Deb and Sunny, and just what concert-goers can expect.
Event Information:
Whoa, Man & Friends Present She Rocks the Fort @ The Clyde Theatre
Sunday, Oct. 20
5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
All ages welcome
Tickets: Advance, $25.00
Find complete schedule and ticket information at She Rocks the Fort Facebook event page.
Learn more about and connect with Jennifer's Harbor at its website.
We leave you with an excerpt from Whoa, Man’s original work in progress, still untitled.
Here is a transcript of our conversation:
Julia Meek: Sunny Taylor, Deb King, welcome.
Sunny Taylor: Hi.
Deb King: Hi.
Julia Meek: Now, you two power women are on a mission, rocking the fort in behalf of domestic and sexual violence prevention. Just how did the two of you come together for this righteous cause?
Sunny Taylor: So back in January of this year, I believe it was, I was having a conversation with a friend who had utilized services at Jennifer's Harbor, and I thought, you know, it would be really nice to lift up something like that in the community.
Especially being a part of a mostly female band, and especially since the band had been gaining momentum and stuff, I thought, you know, it's time to do something good for our community. And so I just reached out to Deb. And yeah...
Julia Meek: Boy, aren't you glad she did?
Deb King: Oh so, so happy! Yes, so blessed.
Julia Meek: And in your organization, Jennifer's Harbor, you are dealing with the trauma of violence and abuse all the time, as well as its prevention and awareness, eradication, in fact. Why is this so critical of an issue right here, right now?
Deb King: Yeah, that's a great question. The national average for domestic violence is one in four, but believe it or not, in Allen County, it's one in three.
Yeah, so it's actually even higher in Allen County, and I just was constantly seeing a need for it. You know, there's some great crisis places for women that need to stay.
But when we first started Jennifer's Harbor, a lot of what we did was trying to help the healing for those that might not need housing but needed to heal from the trauma.
Julia Meek: The aftermath.
Deb King: Yes, the aftermath of it. Yes.
Julia Meek: And Sunny, you are a legend on the local and regional music scene and all about women rocking theFort, quite literally. How have you seen things change over the last few decades that you've been in the public eye and performing?
Sunny Taylor: I think being a woman and doing the things that I get to do in music, I've seen a lot of really great things happen, and I've also kind of experienced the downside of being a woman in the industry.
And so, I've seen a lot of things change. I've seen more good than bad, but there's still a lot that we need to work on, that I still see on a pretty regular basis.
Julia Meek: And we praise you for the work that you have done, and of course, keep it all going strong. You've made Fort Wayne a better place. And okay, Deb, how does Sunny's drive and determination roam right over into your own mission of healing and actually empowering women?
Deb King: Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say. It's all about empowerment. Whenever you talk to Sunny, you listen to Whoa, Man, it's all about women and empowerment, and that's exactly what we're trying to do as well.
So I feel like we are just the perfect fit to work together, and it's just been incredible. And I just love the fact that it's women that are coming together to raise money for women as well.
Julia Meek: In a great big way.
Deb King: In a huge way, yes.
Julia Meek: So, let's fast forward to the upcoming celebration. She rocks the Fort, (Sunny cheers, all chuckle) a very special gathering. Now, how are you going to rock it? What can attendees expect?
Sunny Taylor: Okay, so, walking in the door, you're going to be handed a bingo card, and you can take that bingo card around to all these vendors, and they'll put stickers on that bingo card, and you can enter to win a guitar. We have a couple of guitar giveaways that night.
And these are also a lot of small businesses that are female owned, the vendors that we'll have in the lobby there at the Clyde Theatre. So you'll be supporting them by purchasing anything from them.
And then we're gonna have one heck of a rock concert featuring Whoa, Man, Big Caddy Daddy, Riley Lynn Band, Grace Scott, Home by 10, Angie Marquart, Jill, Jugloff, Shelly Dixon, Deeja, Basket Case.
And I'm so sorry if I missed any of them, but it's going to be a whole lot of women doing a whole lot of rock. And it's going to be amazing.
Julia Meek: Wonderful, wonderful rocking. How long of an event is this?
Sunny Taylor: So it's going to be more like a festival setting. People can come and go as they like. The Club Room next door will be open for dinner and things like that.
But the entire event, the doors open at five o'clock, and that's right when the first band kicks off. So this is a Sunday night. We know not everybody can stay out super late.
But for those who are feeling a little more adventurous, we're gonna be rocking straight on through till 10 o'clock with Whoa, Man in the closing set at nine o'clock.
Julia Meek: A nice long range of day and something for everyone, all age groups too, it sounds.
Sunny Taylor: Yes, absolutely.
Julia Meek: Now, raising funds through music is definitely a power play, a very clever one. How is it all going together?
Sunny Taylor: It's all going together pretty seamlessly, and especially when you look at the team of women who are behind this entire thing. Like, yes, I thought of it, but there's no way I could take care of every single branch of what needs to happen to make the event a success.
We have Sarah Loshe, the director of Sol Fest, and she's been coordinating all of our vendors and doing a bunch of footwork and getting flyers out there. And then we also have Casey Bishop on board, and she's the director of Bloom Fest, another very well known festival around town. She's doing a lot of our media and marketing, and she's just been amazing to work with.
And I have a constant text thread going on with those girls, and correspondence with Deb, and it's an amazing team of women. That's how it's all gonna work.
It's fit together seamlessly with, you know, each of us kind of having our own personal mission and reasons that we want to be in it, but then also the big reason that we want to be in it, and that's to support other women in the community.
Julia Meek: What an empowerment, and Deb, you're busy with day-to-day living and life and everything going on over there at Jennifer's Harbor. What are you thinking? What are you feeling?
Deb King: You know, I am so excited and Sunny is, she's right. It is just, it's amazing. I just get calls and get blessed all the time with what they're doing. I have never had a fundraiser that I've had to do so little, to be completely honest.
It's just been absolutely amazing. And the hearts behind these women that are contacting me if they need information, what they might need from us, I just can't believe it. Every day, I just felt more and more blessed. It's incredible.
Julia Meek: It is a power play.
Deb King: It is a power play!
Julia Meek: Your organization deserves it. Your individuals deserve it, and going all the way to the folks that you deal with, and speaking of empowerment, what are you hearing from them? How are they feeling to know that such a wonderful event is being put together in their honor?
Deb King: Oh my goodness, yeah, our clients and our little kiddos that come as well, we talk about it all the time. They all know, obviously, who Whoa, Man is to begin with, which is really fun.
But just for them, and Sunny also did this in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month being in October as well.
So, for these women to hear that other women in the community that they highly respect are coming together and giving their heart and their talent for them, it's blowing them all away. It's just really cool.
Julia Meek: It is a perfect storm in the best way possible. And you both have a lot of street cred in your organizations, as well as your dynamic personalities, to be sure.
What are you hearing from all of your populations, and that includes the men and the kids and everybody in your life that knows this is going down and knows why.
Sunny Taylor: There's been an incredible amount of support, not just for the event itself, but for the organization. There have been a lot of people who can't necessarily go to the event, so they're like, how can we help? What can we do otherwise?
And particularly, I mean, I've been really fortunate to have really, really great men around me in my life. You know, for the most part, of course, you alway s come across a few that...
Julia Meek: The exceptions that prove the rule.
Sunny Taylor: Right, right, right! But yeah, a lot of the men, especially the guys in the bands, are some of our biggest advocates.
They will stand up for us, and they do support us, and that's been a really big part of it. You know, this is not just women coming together to help women.
There are also a lot of men that we may not even be really noticing who are kind of stepping up for us.
Julia Meek: And giving credit where credit's due is incredibly important all the way around, we know that.
Sunny Taylor: Absolutely.
Deb King: Yeah, and I would agree with that, because I think it's so important for the women to be able to see that there's these great guys out there too, right?
I mean, they've been hurt really bad by some, some bad guys, but there's really good guys out there.
Julia Meek: Everybody deserves that. Everybody deserves that. And who all do you expect to see at this gala affair?
Deb KIng: Everybody!! (all laugh)
Sunny Taylor: Everyone! Your mom, your dad, your granny, cousins. Granny likes to rock and roll. Bring her out. We'll find a seat for her!
We hope that everyone in the community will be able to come together celebrate what Jennifer's Harbor is doing, and just enjoy some really amazing bands.
The women who we chose for this particular event, while there were a lot more that we would like to add on there as well, because there's so many women in the town.
Julia Meek: Mmhhmm. We can't quite go for a four or five day event. (all laugh)
Sunny Taylor: Exactly! As fun as that would be, yeah. (chuckles) So we really had to condense it down, but these are absolutely some of the hardest working, most talented women that I know in the local music scene.
And that being said, there are a lot of other really hardworking, really talented women who I hope will reach out to me and become a part of next year's event. Please don't be sad that I didn't ask you this year. I tried! (chuckles)
Julia Meek: Saving you for next year.
Sunny Taylor: Yeah,
Julia Meek: Now your sponsors and the venue itself are absolutely powerful testimony to this cause, and your spirit and your hard work. How are you hoping to reach and touch others, big entities and big movements out there, and get everybody included in this?
Sunny Taylor: Well, we have been working with, several of the sponsors have their own initiatives for women in any kind of industry, really, one of them being Sunbelt Rentals.
They have a program called WISE, which stands for women inspired, supported, empowered. And it's all about, you know, getting women into industries that are mostly like male dominated, but it's like, Hey, we're pretty talented in that area too, so we're gonna advocate for that.
So there are a lot of really cool programs within these companies who are sponsoring us, and even like Oak Tree Guidance and Wellness, a wonderful resource for women in our community, right down to some of the sponsors that you might not expect would really be that involved with it, one of them being Fire and Ice, Heating & Cooling, who is actually named after the Pat Benatar song, Fire and Ice.
Julia Meek; Oh! That takes on new meaning! (all chuckle)
Sunny Taylor: Yeah, and they were just on board with it from the get go. They were like, Sure, what can we do? So yeah, a lot of our sponsors are really wanting to help make an impact with us.
They're not just jumping in there for the advertisement. They really are a part of it, and they've really shown their support in that way.
Deb King: Yeah, and so many of them are new for us, right? We get sponsors for our gala and different things like that.
But we're getting new people and new corporations that are starting to hear more and more about us and getting...
Julia Meek: It's wonderful networking. And also the momentum is obviously...
Deb King: We're really growing! (all chuckle)
Julia Meek: Yes, roaring down that hill, on fire! Now Sunny, you encourage women, young and old, to be their best self. Every one of your shows has them out there, rocking and loving it. Can music and role modeling and this sense of community actually drive this movement, do you think?
Sunny Taylor: Absolutely. I've seen music and relationships change the lives of women in my circle, whether it's some of my younger guitar students or songwriting students, some of them as young as, you know, 7-8-9 years old, and even right up to the women who I'm in the band with.
There's one that a few years ago would not have been singing center stage, and she is now singing center stage, and it's my favorite part of the night. So we, yeah, it's really neat to see how that's kind of panning out, just in my own circle. And I absolutely believe that music and connection can change lives.
Julia Meek: And empower.
Sunny Taylor: Oh yeah. Oh yeah, yeah.
Julia Meek: Now, meanwhile, translate this positivity that Sunny's sharing to your group, Deb. What are you hoping this energy might do, especially generationally, to the kids, of the kids and everybody involved in the hard part to really, really change things.
Deb King: Yeah, we might have younger kids that are coming because they want to rock out, right? And then they're going to start hearing more about the struggles and the abuse that's going on.
This could be part of prevention. You start to help them to understand what even abuse is, what is a healthy relationship. You know, that kind of things would be just absolutely amazing. On top of it, music is so important for our clients.
So many of them, if they're starting to trigger, they're starting to get upset, they'll stop me in the middle of a counseling session and say, Can I just listen to...they might have this favorite song that they're listening to, right?
And it calms them down. It helps them to regulate their emotions more as well. I just think that there are so many different (things) I plan on bringing my 11 year old granddaughter that's gonna come.
And do you not think that, like her understanding, seeing the empowerment of women, seeing women care about and men care about people that are struggling and hurting. And I just think there's so much that can happen with this. I don't know. I think it's gonna be big.
Sunny Taylor: Yeah, we call those little girls "Future Rock Stars of America," (all laugh) and not just in the music industry, but they see women supporting women, and there, that creates a core memory for them. That's a core value that will be developed in their life. You know, the more events like this that they attend.
Sunny Taylor: Yeah, oh yeah.
Julia Meek: And they get it.
Deb King: And it's a fun way to still talk about a serious subject, right? Because sometimes you start talking about these type of things, and everybody gets a little bit uncomfortable. But we can educate.
We can maybe start to try to work on some prevention, and we can do it in a fun way. In the end, we need to have fun after hearing about that kind of abuse and stress.
Julia Meek: Yes, and having experienced it.
Deb King: Right, exactly.
Julia Meek: And so, busy as you two are, what's next on your horizons once this event goes down?
Sunny Taylor: Ummm, perhaps a glass of wine? (all laugh)
Deb King: Together?
Sunny Taylor: Together! (more laughter) Maybe more than one glass, I don't know. I'm already kind of looking forward to the next event, whether it's something with She Rocks the Fort, or just kind of being in support of Jennifer's Harbor somehow.
Yeah, that's kind of what I'm looking for. I like to do a lot of music and mentorship-type things, just in my, you know, day to day life, because, as we've talked about, music is really a connector and helps people to heal, and we've seen that, firsthand.
So I would love to explore more ways to be a mentor, through music lessons and through education and just through supporting organizations like Jennifer's Harbor.
Julia Meek: This is a great start. And for you?
Deb King: I don't think we mentioned it yet, but all the funds that we raise are going for Abie's Haven, which is going to be Fort Wayne's first short-term crisis home, specifically for survivors and children of domestic and sexual violence.
So, I think next year for us is going to be busy. Hopefully, our goal, if we can make it, is to officially have the doors open like July of next year. So I think that's where we're going to be pretty busy at.
Julia Meek: It's an ambitious goal and we wish you well.
Deb King: Yeah, it's ambitious you know, we'll see. We'll see what happens, but yeah.
Julia Meek: And from the sound of this conversation, it sounds like we can hope to have more women rocking more fort, specifically, in the future.
Deb King: Absolutely, absolutely!
Julia Meek: Have women, will rock!
Sunny Taylor: Absolutely, yep, call me! (all laugh) We'll make it happen.
Deb King: Exactly! (chuckles)
Julia Meek: Now, you've both dealt with big challenges as women trying to build your better worlds and your better businesses and be inclusive. Where do you turn when it really does seem hopeless, there has to be a downside. Who inspires you?
Deb King: Each other?
Sunny Taylor: I would agree with that, and it's almost like a God's timing type of thing. I'll have something really wonderful happen, or some kind of breakthrough.
And I call Deb and let her know about it, and she's like, Oh, you don't know how bad I needed to hear that just now. And vice versa, and it's been going kind of in that pattern since the get go.
And I do think that, you know, God provides these really great moments in our life, not just for us to keep for ourselves, but to share with someone else, because then it uplifts them as well. We've seen that happen just so many times throughout this.
Deb King: It has been actually very amazing. I remember one specific time where I was really struggling and nobody knew, and she did. She called me that day and she just gave some amazing news.
And you know, you hear trauma, at least from my perspective, I hear such hard stuff every single day, right? And so I try, I would say my faith is also another big thing, as far as keeping me, you know, with hope. But with that, sometimes you just, you can get down, right?
It's like, is it ever going to change? The statistics are staggering. Are we going to raise the money we need to start Abie's Haven, and then someone like a Sunny, who is total sunshine in your life, right?
Will contact you and just give you something. She always encouraged me and says, because you're struggling is because you're doing the right thing, right? The harder it is, it's because something good's gonna happen. And she says that to me all the time.
Julia Meek: Well, Sunny's often right, and that's a case where she is.
Sunny Taylor: I tell my husband that all the time. (all laugh) You have no idea how right I am all the time! (more laughter) He knows, he knows.
Deb King: He does, yeah!
Julia Meek: Yes, I would say so. Now I am curious, what do you say to folks who simply don't believe that the violence and abuse issue is really "as bad as they say," or that it's somehow the victim's fault.
Deb King: Honestly, that's part of the education that needs to continue to happen. It is happening. It's happening everywhere.
Statistics aren't different inside the church, outside the church. It doesn't matter. It is happening. And one of the biggest things Jennifer's Harbor does is try to even get in the church community and explain; these statistics are no different inside than they are outside.
And so, I think education is a really important part. I have to be real careful, obviously, with protecting our girls. But anything that I could do, if you have that question and you you need to talk to somebody, talk to me, and I can give you story after story.
And you were talking earlier about the younger generation, and what I'm seeing with that is just absolutely heartbreaking. With social media and everything else that's going on. It's there. It's real. I promise.
I work a lot more than 40 hours a week to try to help with it, and so, I'm sorry if you don't believe it, but it's there, it's happening. It's probably happening more than our statistics are even saying, let's be real. That's just people that are talking about it.
Julia Meek: And more talking means more change.
Deb King: Yeah, exactly. The more empowerment we have in these kind of things. That's another thing. Obviously all of our clients are invited to She Rocks the Fort as well, right?
And they're gonna sit there and they're gonna see that this many people care. And I can tell my story, and my story does matter.
So the more that we help the girls to understand that their stories matter, I think the better it's gonna get, as far as changing what people think as well.
Julia Meek: I hope so.
Deb King: I hope so as well.
Sunny Taylor: If I can speak to that too, as far as realizing just how real some of these issues are, when I first started seeking this partnership with Deb and Jennifer's Harbor, I was thinking, you know, how great. We're gonna put on this fun show and we're gonna uplift women in our community. It's gonna be great.
And then one day, I was performing at a show with Whoa, Man, and we went on break for a little bit, and this woman came up to me, and she's like, hey, I heard about what you're doing with Jennifer's Harbor. It's a really deserving organization.
And she said, uh, Deb, saved my friends and my lives. And it suddenly kind of brought everything back into focus. It was no longer about the event itself. It's like, okay, this is something really important, something that's very tangibly important in our community.
It really brought that back into a sharp focus about how, how important something like Jennifer's Harbor is. And it kind of brought me face to face with that. It was a little bit humbling.
You know, I'm thinking, yeah, I get to be in a band and play music, but then this is actually something that is affecting women in our community on a daily basis, and we got to do something.
Julia Meek: And you are.
Sunny Taylor: We're doing it, we're doing it.
Julia Meek: And in your minds, going forward, and this is the last question, what one thing can everyone do in our community to be a part of that change that you two are obviously driven so hard to make?
Sunny Taylor: I think that when people discover the things that they are the most passionate about in their lives, I think that doors are opened to use that passion to make an impact in some kind of positive way around you.
And it doesn't matter what you do. You could be the world's best dryer repairman, and you can use, you know, the things that you're passionate about, to contribute in some way to your community, in a way that has a positive impact. I really think that that's where it starts.
Kids are, especially in our school systems, a lot of kids are taught that it's your grades and things like that. My kids may not get the best grades in school, but they definitely have their passions and their dreams.
And at some point the things that they're good at and the things that they're passionate about, they're gonna see where that intertwines with what their life's mission and what their goals are gonna be.
Because it always happens; you have gifts, and it's for a reason, so use them.
Deb King: Love that. I agree with that 100%. The other thing that I would say, and it's really simple, but it's kindness, I think.
Character and really, whether you're a mom teaching your children, or as an adult, looking back at the decisions I'm making, if we could just stop and listen to people and believe them, right, and be kind?
This world would be so much different. And I think it starts with kindness.
Julia Meek: Fort Wayne musician and educator, Sunny Taylor, who is also director of She Rocks the Fort, and Deb King, founder and director of Jennifer's Harbor, thank you to both of you for the work that you do and the story that you share. Have an amazing event and do rock on.
Deb King: Thank you.
Sunny Taylor: Thank you.
