Sam Armstrong

Greetings from a simple man who was born in Kentucky, raised in California, and was an educator in Texas.

After retiring I spent a couple years living on a boat in Galveston, Texas before relocating to Minnesota. My favorite part of teaching is making positive connections. Music is another powerful way for people to make connections, with memories and each other. Each of us has a soundtrack to our lives of music that speaks to us. Alive & Kickin is an amazing opportunity to help people access those memories and connect to their soundtracks.

Ron Mark

Ron grew up in Rising Sun, Iowa, where he attended a one-room schoolhouse until sixth grade. He started singing in church and high school choirs before taking his love of music on the road with the Soul Vibrations Band, performing across the Midwest. After serving in the U.S. Army and later working for the Federal Aviation Administration, Ron found a new way to share his passion for music. At his small Iowa winery, he started Sunday Tunes, inviting local bands to perform and becoming the first winery in the state to host live music. Ron’s journey blends hard work, service, and a lifelong love of music and community.

Pat Botten

After many evenings watching my son Joe on stage, I felt it was finally my turn. I’ve volunteered with Alive & Kicking for years, but this is my first time stepping out of the wings — and into the spotlight.

Music has always been part of my life. I grew up singing in school and church choirs in a small Minnesota town, and those harmonies stayed with me through 50 years in the nonprofit world, five years as a breast cancer survivor, and an active life filled with bowling, travel and laughter — all in the same South Minneapolis home my late husband grew up in.

Now, with time and courage, I’m returning to the joy of singing. There’s something timeless about voices joined together — and I’m grateful to be part of it.

Michael Laibson

Michael Laibson, a widower with two remarkable and loving kids and a grandson with superpowers, was born in 1946.

After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Theatre Arts, he ventured to New York where, between acting gigs, he began working with Daytime Dramas.

Michael spent over twenty years working on and ultimately producing Guiding Light, All My Children, Another World and As the World Turns, for which he won an Emmy.

After retiring, he spent another couple of decades teaching acting, directing, writing and producing in NYC at Montclair State, New Actor’s Workshop under the direction of Mike Nichols, and the New York Film Academy.

Alive & Kickin has brought him back to his love of performance, and though the instrument is much older, the spirit is still incredibly young.

Mark Peterson

My life has been filled with fascinating experiences! From security for Fleetwood Mac to an archeology dig in Israel. Dinner with the captain of the real life LOVE BOAT, and performing for children as Santa with Roundhouse Rodney. Now it’s Alive & Kickin’!

In my life I’ve sung in choirs, cars and to cows in the pasture. I’ve always loved to sing, even when I couldn’t. I remember in high school when I sang on after the choir had stopped. I was so embarrassed. But the director said, “That sounded great, Mark!” Surprised, I’ve never forgotten that encouragement.

After cancer, my wife, Amy, and friend Cheri Martin encouraged me to join A&K. I have found great people, fun music, and that age is only a state of mind!

Kristin Jewell

Aside from the generic elementary school music class/choir combo (if you’ve never heard 5th and 6th graders singing The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in its entirety, have you really lived?), I was pretty convinced that singing wasn’t a strength of mine. Once I departed the 9 to 5 computer tech world to raise my beloved children, though, I really needed something involving adults, and a community choir turned out to be where I landed. Since that time I have understood the boon to the spirit singing can be, and that journey is continuing with Alive & Kickin. Learning and performing music I grew up with is promising to be another fun facet of my musical journey and a challenge I hope to be able to meet with flair.