The Woombles Rock Orchestra performs Saturday at the Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark at the annual Our Hospice of South Central Indiana Labor Day weekend concert.
Carla Clark | For The Republic
An $80,000 net concert profit is music to the local nonprofit hospice’s ears.
Organizers are calling the Aug. 31 Our Hospice of South Central Indiana fundraising concert “a resounding success” for netting that amount for the care of its nearly 300 patients with life-limiting illnesses.
The concert at Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark featured an evening of soulful blues with Jennie DeVoe, followed by high-energy tributes to Journey by The RockShow and the ever-popular Woomblies Rock Orchestra. The event drew an estimated crowd of nearly 2,000 pop-rock lovers and others who came together to celebrate the power of music and the importance of hospice and palliative care.
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended the concert and contributed to this amazing cause,” said Steph Cain, president of Our Hospice of South Central Indiana. “The funds raised will directly support our mission of providing compassionate care to patients and their families during their most difficult times.”
Concert organizer Julie Davis expressed gratitude to title sponsor Dunlap General and Mechanical Contractors and partner sponsor Columbus Regional Health, plus volunteers and ticket buyers.
“We’re just incredibly grateful for all the support,” Davis said.
The lower fundraising figure compared to many previous years is due to nearly 700 fewer raffle tickets sold than last year, fewer sponsors and because the new, indoor presentation of the event has to be smaller in crowd size than those concerts held previously at Mill Race Park, where the concert in past years would regularly attract some 7,000 people.
The Our Hospice summer concert is the nonprofit’s largest fundraiser of the year, providing support for its patients — including the uninsured and underinsured — and their families cared for in 22 counties in south central Indiana.
Hospice does that via:
• The inpatient Hospice Center at 2626 17th St. in Columbus, serving patients and families needing a high level of care, and is available for short-term caregiver respite.
• Bereavement services, a free 13-month grief support service for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one. Bereavement support is an offering that is not reimbursed at all and Our Hospice says fundraising helps provide these services.
• Palliative care, a minimally reimbursed specialty for the ongoing care of patients enduring a chronic or acute condition, while undergoing curative care. Palliative care is reimbursed at a rate of about 17% of cost.
The winner of the concert’s $10,000 raffle was Ron Baker. Other winners included Teresa Weichman ($500), Chris Walsh ($250), Barb Gray ($150), and Shelli Burton ($100).
For more information, visit ourhospice.org.
