The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Shriners Hospitals for children make an impact
Musicians for Shriners: Benefit concert raises funds for Shriners Hospitals for Children
Second annual Musicians for Shriners concert at Kallet Civic Center to raise money for childrens’ hospitals
ONEIDA >> A sensitive and intimate testimonial on Paul Case’s Facebook page last year has now inspired a chance for the entire community to give back to the good folks of Shriners Hospitals for Children.
When fellow musician Randy Richmond saw Case’s post describing in detail a tragic accident at home that left his young daughter Katie burned over a third of her body, it touched him in a way that prompted him to action. Richmond said he had a granddaughter the same age, and he knew something like that could happen to his own family, just as it could happen to anyone.
Case’s story also revealed the incredible outreach of Shriners Hospitals for Children, who had taken superb care of the Case family both medically and financially. Richmond said he later asked Case, a friend of some 40 years, about it personally, and both men welled up in tears as Case told about that accidental fire several years ago.
Case admitted that the costs of Katie’s treatments would have been staggering, but he was never asked to pay those bills.
“We are very thankful to the Shriners,” Case said of his family, also including wife Julie and son Paul Justin. “The medical bills would have been unreal. We would have had to hock the house to pay them.”
“It was such an emotional story -- they all went through a lot,” Richmond said. “But it also told how fantastic the Shriners were, and that got me wondering about who they are and what they do. Then it just hit me … it inspired me to step up and do something for them.”
Richmond realized the two of them could put their musical talents to good use in a fundraising concert event for the Shriners, and when he approached Case about the prospect he agreed immediately.
“I told him, ‘We’re musicians and we could do something.’ Paul said, ‘I’m in,’” Richmond recalled.
They created the Musicians for Shriners concert event, held for the first time last June featuring Moss Back Mule Band joining Paul Case Band and ½ Fast Eddie and the Rusty Nuts -- with Richmond on bass -at the Kallet Civic Center in Oneida.
The concert will return to the Kallet on May 21, offering a full day of music from some of the most popular bands in central New York.
The event will benefit the work of the Shriners, who offer loving care for kids in orthopedics, burn care, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate situations regardless of the family’s ability to pay.
Although they raised several thousand dollars for the Shriners last year,
Richmond admits now that the first time wasn’t really the success he hoped for, so some
changes have been made to help bring in a bigger crowd. Admission to last year’s event was $15, but this year admission is just $5, with kids 12 and younger free.
Richmond said the entry fee is purposely kept low to make sure families are able to attend together. Once inside, guests can buy raffle tickets or make donations to the Shriners as they can afford, he explained. He wants to see people of all ages at the concert.
“The more kids the better,” he said. “This is all about the children.”
Moss Back Mule Band will be back, although now sadly sans guitarist/vocalist Bob Fleming who passed away since last year’s show, and so will Paul Case Band. They will be joined on the bill by two of central New York’s hottest party bands, Classified and Showtime. To make the event even more family-friendly, the Shriners Clowns will also be back to entertain the concertgoers with their own zany antics and balloon animal creations.
Case, who lives in Old Forge, said Katie is now 12 and in seventh grade, and doing well.
“She’s just a normal kid, with a few scars,” he said, adding she has had a “big road to go down.” Katie will be in surgery again on May 19, so Case isn’t sure if she will attend this year’s concert. She was there with the family last year, though.
Case said he appreciates his musical friends rallying to support a cause close to his family’s heart.
“It’s just awesome the way they have all come together like this,” he said. “That’s what good people do, and I am really looking forward to doing this again.”
The Musicians for Shriners concert is May 21 at the Kallet Civic Center, located at 159 Main St. in Oneida, and doors open at 11:30 a.m. For more information, find the Musicians for Shriners event page on Facebook.
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