The first-ever concert inside the Chatham Armoury helped fuel a music therapy program for children.
In fact, the $10,000 raised from the sold-out show by Grace 2, a Tragically Hip tribute band, will support the special therapy programs of the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent (CTCC-K).
“When we were approached by Four Diamond Events and Grace, 2 about the concert, we were surprised and honoured that they were willing to share their time and talents to support our kids,” Mike Genge, president of the CTCC-K Foundation, said in a media release. “The concert sold out in about a week. It’s great when exceptional entertainment comes to town for people to enjoy and the kids are helped by it at the same time,”
Grace, 2’s Andy Wehrspann said that the band was happy to help C-K’s kids.
“To truly pay tribute to The Tragically Hip and honour Gord Downie’s legacy, we believe in using the power of The Hip’s music to raise money and awareness for great causes, such as for kids with special needs,” he said.
Genge credited the strong support of local sponsors for raising so much money in one evening.
“Local businesses really stepped up to cover a lot of the costs,” he said.
This April concert was the first step in Sons of Kent’s “Road to Hipfest.” Hipfest will be held at the brewery on Aug. 24.
The next event for CTCC-K is the “Run for the Kids” on June 23, to be held in Rondeau Provincial Park. This family-friendly event is open to participants of all ages and abilities. It will include a paved 200m and 5km route accessible for strollers, wheelchairs and wagons. For more information on the Run, visit https://ctcf-ck.com.
