TYLER GODSEY, 38 / Owner/Operator, 5 Points Music Foundation
Roanoke native Tyler Godsey has suffered from profound hearing loss for most of his life. His two children, Brooke and Forest, were also born deaf, and received cochlear implants as babies. They served as Godsey’s inspiration to launch 5 Points Music Foundation, an organization that provides free music therapy and advocates for those with disabilities including hearing loss, blindness and other special needs. Godsey also opened The Sanctuary, a 250-person music venue that has hosted over 300 events featuring artists from around the world, in addition to private events and fundraisers. In 2018, Godsey’s children were diagnosed with Usher Syndrome, an incurable and untreatable rare genetic disorder that will take their eyesight; this prompted him to launch the Chasing the Light initiative. This program provides unique travel experiences for families dealing with the disorder, such as a trip to see the Northern Lights. “If there is one common thread between us, it is that we all have our own unique story that includes sources of pain and challenges that are often unknown and carried silently,” Godsey says. “Though our stories are all unique and different, none of them are any more difficult than anyone else’s. Each one of us is fighting to find a moment that eases these burdens.”
From the Nomination: “Tyler Godsey, who is deaf, in 2017 founded 5 Points Music Sanctuary, a 501.c3 non-profit, in an old former church at the corner of Maple and Jefferson, under the mantra of sound and vibrations being ‘the core of all I’ve found that’s good in people.’ …in October, he launched the “Chasing the Light” initiative, to bring awareness and support to Usher Syndrome, an untreatable genetic disorder that includes deafness and leads to blindness. Both of Godsey’s children have been diagnosed with Usher 1B. The goal of the Chasing the Light program is to give two families the opportunity to see the Northern Lights in early 2020. Tyler Godsey’s building of a professional life around the untreatable medical diagnosis of his two children is both heroic and heartwarming, and sets an example for all parents.”
What do you love about Roanoke?
Godsey: “In recent years, Roanoke has been able to establish a reputation for its outdoor amenities, a balanced array of high-quality businesses including restaurants, breweries, retailers, hotels, art galleries, museums and entertainment options. In so doing, we have reinforced the value of collaboration between our regional partners and communities, while also providing for an approach to creating a livable region that is built on something that you cannot fake–authenticity. Our success as a region is built on our authentic approach to business, recreation, education, and economic development, all of which have enhanced our quality of life in ways that are pure and real. Too often, communities struggle to unite around an identity. The tug and pull between competing ideas for economic development, government, business, etcetera, have left many communities with abandoned campaigns, empty storefronts and growth that is predicated on the next bright shiny idea in terms of place-making. I believe the successful growth and sustainability of the Roanoke Valley lies in the authentic commitment made by our regional leaders in the arts, local government, and various businesses to embrace a vision that encourages risk taking, collaboration, social responsibility and innovation to foster a region that people are proud to be part of and that others from afar want to learn more about. When tourists arrive, it is readily apparent that what we market, what we value, what we do is more than just a campaign. It’s rooted in our authentic approach towards taking pride in all that we do, doing it really well, and being comfortable with how it all shapes the region around us.”
How does your passion impact our community?
Godsey: “At each of our events, I offer a brief ‘sermon’ to both our artists and guests in an effort to remind them who we are and why we do what we do. I often use this as a chance to reflect on my own challenges and struggles as father, husband, friend and as a leader in our community. As the show begins, I spend the evening talking with guests learning more about who they are, where they come from and further learn about their own challenges and struggles. We use the following analogy to describe the Sanctuary: If life is a walk on the beach, the ocean represents life’s perpetual tides of chaos that rise and retreat. When staring out at the expanse of it all, it becomes daunting, we look down shore and all we sometimes see is struggle that goes for as far as the eye can see. As we gaze, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by it all, just as it is in real life. It is important to remind ourselves to turn around and away from the chaos that lures… we turn and look at our feet to find a starfish in the sand, we chase the wind as it blows patterns along the shoreline, we extend our gaze unto the horizon as we capture the sun setting in the distance. We don’t turn away from the ocean to forget the chaos, rather we turn away to find these small moments of purity and beauty that remind us, life is not all chaos. We turn away to capture a simple moment that makes it a little easier to turn back towards the ocean and face whatever challenge the tides bring. When people walk through the doors of the Sanctuary, our goal is to be that ‘starfish,’ to chase that moment, to be that ‘sunset,’ so that when you walk back out, whatever burdens you are facing are a little bit easier to deal with.”
