The Richmond Pulmonary Association is hosting a charity concert, featuring local bands and musicians, at 9 p.m. on April 19 in the Tyler Haynes Commons.
Austin Butler, president of the Richmond Pulmonary Association, said the funds raised from the concert would go to a local family suffering from a pulmonary disorder.
According to the Richmond Pulmonary Association's Rockethub page, the goal of the group is to help alleviate the cost of treatment and transplantation associated with lung diseases.
Butler founded the club on campus in spring 2011 after his father died from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis on June 12, 2010, two months before Butler began his freshman year at Richmond. The cost of the treatment was more than $250,000, according to the Rockethub page.
"I figured instead of dealing with that stress, I could do something positive with it, so I started this organization," Butler said.
The plan was to donate to a particular family, but recently the Global Health Group put the Richmond Pulmonary Association in contact with Dr. Rivers, a pulmonary doctor who founded the CrossOver Health Care Ministry, Butler said.
Butler said donating to the clinic could help more people, but they were still going to try to donate to a local family.
"A couple thousand dollars donated [to CrossOver] can help a lot more than just one particular family," Butler said.
Students who will perform at the event Thursday: George Washburne, Alex McDilda, Cullen Bonham and Evan Williams.
Juniper Green, a band from Tidewater, Va., will also be performing. Juniper Green is composed of family friends of Butler. Butler said there were genres like rap, folk and alternative rock that would be featured in the concert.
"There is quite a variety...which will be interesting," Butler said.
Williams, vice president of the Richmond Pulmonary Association, said he was excited about playing at the event.
"I see this as an opportunity to get on stage and let it all out," Williams said.
Butler, McDilda and Washburne are in Sigma Phi Epsilon together.
"If I've learned anything from joining Sig Ep, it's the importance of always helping your brothers out whenever you can," McDilda said.
Last fall, Sig Ep sponsored "Dorm Wars." which supported the Richmond Pulmonary Association.
"I have my brothers in SigEp who are always there for me, but I don't want it to be strictly associated with SigEp--this is open to the general population," Butler said.
"[The Richmond Pulmonary Association] has been really good for me; it makes me feel really good to know that I am helping people with this," Butler said.
Butler said the Global Health Group had helped the Richmond Pulmonary Association with the benefit concert.
They will have a table for selling candy holders in the Commons, and the Richmond Pulmonary Association will have a table for advertising in the Heilman Dining Center.
The concert is free, but donations are suggested, Williams said.
Contact staff writer Marie Jayme at marie.jayme@richmond.edu
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