Electric City Music Conference organizers raise money for charity by losing weight and getting healthy
From a press release:
The organizers of the Electric City Music Conference decided to get healthy by losing weight while raising money for charity before this year’s event in Scranton.
The duo had donors sponsor each pound lost with a financial commitment. Joe Caviston and Ken Norton lost a combined 68 pounds and raised $2,160 for their respective charities: the Four Diamonds Fund and St. Joseph’s Center.
Based out of the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Four Diamonds works to “conquer childhood cancer” through medical care, financial and emotional support, and pediatric cancer research. Through pregnancy, family, and adoption services; outpatient therapy; and extensive residential and community-based programs for children and adults diagnosed with intellectual disabilities, St. Joseph’s Center in Scranton serves hundreds of people throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania on a daily basis.
“The ECMC is all about giving back, so we donate to a charity ever year. With the expenses involved in running such a big event, it gets harder to accomplish with each passing year,” Norton said.
“This year, we decided to focus on raising money for charity during the lead-up to the event. If we’re being honest, we both needed to lose a few pounds.”
Four Diamonds will see $1,725 in donations from the 50 pounds that Caviston lost. St. Joseph’s will receive $435 from the weight dropped by Norton.
“I personally watched the Four Diamonds Foundation benefit my best friend’s family. The THON community rally around them. Upon announcing my charity, I learned that [Wilkes-Barre photographer and 1120 Studios owner] Keith Perks was also a benefactor of the Four Diamonds Foundation. In response, we’ve asked our donors to make their donations ‘in honor of Keith Perks’ and ‘in memory of Kayla Nakonechni,'” Caviston explained.
“I watched Kayla grow up and, during her most difficult times, she inspired so many, myself included. Her mantra of ‘Life’s tough, but I’m tougher’ is a constant reminder to always keep my head up. I’ll be on #TeamKayla forever. Keith has also been an inspiration to me for years. When I was coming up in the local music scene, I always admired what 1120 was doing and looked up to Keith, including when he kicked cancer’s ass. I’m honored to now count him as one of my friends.”
The Electric City Music Conference begins on Thursday, Sept. 13 with the Steamtown Music Awards and continues with live music at 13 different venues on Friday, Sept. 14 and Saturday, Sept. 15.
As the largest event of its kind in NEPA, this celebration of the diverse local music scene is much more than a music festival, bringing hundreds of artists and music industry professionals together annually to meet and network while recognizing and showcasing established and up-and-coming musicians.
Donate to Four Diamonds here. Donate to St. Joe’s here.
See NEPA Scene’s photos from the 2018 ECMC announcement party here and read the full 2018 conference schedule here. See photos from the 2017 Steamtown Music Awards here and the entire Electric City Music Conference here. Stream or download last year’s ECMC panel discussions as free podcasts here. Listen to Caviston and Norton talk about the conference and the awards in depth in Episode 26 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
