$200,000 raised for Petluma Children with Serious Illnesses

Sheena and the Band performing at the 24th Annual Carousel Fund Casino Night

October 1, 2011, I had a show in Petaluma, CA with Sheena Easton. I knew we were performing at the Petaluma Veterans Building, but I didn't know exactly what the function was for.

Well the function was the 24th annual Carousel Fund Casino Night where they raise money for children with serious illnesses. Over 1,300 people showed up and were reminded why they had come.  For reasons like seven-year-old Ella Stewart who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and spent several months in a coma, during which her family would have lost their house if not for the help of the Carousel Fund. That's why they came, the Sheena Easton performance was a bonus.

The Carousel Fund is an all-volunteer organization whose mission is to raise funds to help Petaluma families pay for the medical expenses of children with catastrophic illnesses or injuries. Since it's beginning in 1986, they have raised more than $3.5 million. On October 1st, they raised over $200,000.

Sheena, concluded the evening with a 90-minute performance. One of Sheena's songs is "For Your Eyes Only" from the Agent 007 James Bond film with the same name. The evening took on a James Bond Theme, "Shaken, Not Stirred," complete with dancing "Bond Girls" above the crowd at the rear of the main room. We had a great time performing, but the real stars were the children

Money was raised through the live and silent auctions, and other functions throughout the night. One of the big-ticket auction items was the use of a new Aston Martin automobile and a two-night stay at Solage Calistoga. There was also some sports memorablila, including a baseball signed by 13 members of the Hall of Fame. There was also a baseball bat signed by Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson and Ernie Banks to help raise funds.

From Left, Rob Stone, David Hart, David Pack and Myself

We flew into the Oakland Airport and interestingly enough we ran into quite a few musicians. It seems that the Bay Area was having a Jazz Festival as well as other musical functions. I ran into David Pack. David Pack was the lead-singer of the group Ambrosia and David and I have worked on numerous projects together. It was nice to see him and while we were talking, a lady comes up to David Pack, and it was one of the members of Manhattan Transfer, They were up in the Bay area for a different show. It was pretty cool running into various musicians. I ended up flying home on the same flight as Manhattan Transfer and got to meet the whole group at the airport before we left. David Pack, stopped for a quick photo that you see here on the right when we first arrived in Oakland.

All in all, it was a great weekend. As usual I had some of my friends whom I hadn't seen in a while at the show and we got to hang out and have dinner and get caught up before and after the show. They really appreciated the Carousel Foundation because they too have a special needs child.

Glad to have been a part of such a worthy cause, and to know that they were able to raise over $200,000 for the Petaluma Children with Serious Illnesses.

Until next time - Phillip