ETSU’s Department of Music will host its third annual Charity Concert on March 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Brown Hall Auditorium – this year raising money for a cause with paws.
The concert, organized by the Department of Music’s Student Advisory Council, will include performances by various student vocal and instrumental ensembles. This year, all donations will go to the Washington County-Johnson City Animal Shelter. In addition to monetary donations, they will be accepting food donations for the animals.
“We mainly want to contribute to the community,” council member Autumn Brockelman said. “We love seeing the community come out, and we love showing them what we have to offer, and we love seeing them support our local organizations, such as the animal shelter, and that’s why we chose something local is because we’d like to contribute to our community and see everybody come out and have a good time.”
The lineup for the concert will include the ETSU Chorale; ETSU a capella groups Swashbucklers, Harmonium and Ascension; barbershop group Buc Five and bluegrass band Sunny Side of the Mountain. Other performers will include a piano and strings quartet, jazz band, percussion ensemble and woodwind ensemble.
Tammy Davis, the executive director of the Washington County-Johnson City Animal Shelter, said the concert is good timing because they are getting ready to hit their busiest time of year – spring and summer. She said over the summer the shelter can take in 30 to 35 animals a day.
“This year, they reached out and chose us, … so we’re super excited that we will be a part of this,” Davis said.
The animal shelter will have a table set up at the event for people seeking more information about the facility. This will include information such as how to become a volunteer, how to start fostering pets and more.
Davis said the money they receive from the event will first go toward a fund to help treat animals with immediate medical needs. The remaining money will go toward basic needs such as deworming, vaccinations and flee products.
“There has been a misconception that we’re completely funded by the city and county, and we are not,” Davis said. “So, last year we took in over 4,000 animals here at the shelter, and a lot of times those animals that come in may have immediate medical needs.”
Davis said she is thankful for the community’s support, and she hopes for a large attendance at the concert.
“I think that a lot of people have a soft place for animals,” Davis said. “We are very lucky that anytime we have a specific need and we put it out to the public, our community always steps up and gives us what we need, whether it’s dog food or cleaning supplies. People don’t realize how many paper towels we go through, and soap, and Clorox and stuff like that. Laundry detergent — we’re doing laundry 24/7 — so we have a lot of needs that go beyond the animals, but it all ultimately affects the animals.”
For more information about the event, contact godwinc@etsu.edu.
