Artist Action: Eli Young Band, Clay Walker, Hop On A Cure
Eli Young Band Starts Go Fund Me For Elias “Chief” Gonzales
Photo: Courtesy of Eli Young Band
The Eli Young Band has started a Go Fund Me for their brother and fellow road warrior Elias “Chief” Gonzales, who has been battling Follicular Lymphatic cancer for several years and has fought valiantly, long and hard. Last week, Gonzales announced that doctors have said there is nothing else that can be done.
The band expressed their love and respect for Gonzales in a joint statement, sharing, “Every once in a while you cross paths with someone who truly touches people’s lives wherever they go and whomever they come across. Chief is one of those special people. There are an incredible number of folks out there that love this man as we do. He has been part of our road family and crew since the very early days, since before we had enough people to call it a ‘crew.’
“Over the years he held every position imaginable…anything we have ever needed, he has been the guy. Always first to offer help to any artist from the first opener to the headliner, making good friends along the way. He and his family need our help to make sure that his time left on this earth is not spent worrying about the financial side of this thing and what comes next for his family and children. Anything helps. There is and will only be one Chief.”
EYB is asking fans and friends in the industry to support Gonzales in his quest to build a college fund for his children in his final days. Gonzales is at home with his four children, his parents and family making the most of the time he has left before beginning hospice care. Donations can be made here.
Clay Walker Foundation’s ‘Band Against MS Gala’ Raises $220,000
Clay Walker
The Clay Walker Foundation recently held its annual “Band Against MS Gala” at the Ballroom at Bayou Place in Houston and raised $220,000 for Multiple Sclerosis research. In 1996, Walker was diagnosed with MS, and rather than yielding to its challenges, emerged as a fierce advocate and fundraiser, establishing his foundation to support those affected by the disease.
The evening began with a pre-concert mixer where sponsors participated in a silent auction and also featured a performance by Walker himself of his new single, “I Know She Hung The Moon.” Overall, The Clay Walker Foundation has raised $2.6 million dollars for Multiple Sclerosis research.
Hop On A Cure Contributes To Massachusetts General Hospital’s Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS
Hop On A Cure, a leading advocate in the fight against ALS, has announced a contribution of $250,000 toward Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Neurology’s Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS. Hop On A Cure was founded in 2022 after John Driskell Hopkins of Zac Brown Band was diagnosed with ALS. The gift will support the research project Exploring the Effect of Statins to Restore Stathmin-2 Function and Promote Motor Neuron Regeneration.
In addition to the contribution to Mass General, Hop On A Cure is also helping spread awareness and raise money for this year’s Boston College ALS Awareness Game at Fenway Park today (April 25.) The game, now in its fifth year, has been played annually in honor of former Boston College baseball captain and Ice Bucket Challenge founder Pete Frates, who passed away from ALS in 2019 at the age of 34. Hop On A Cure has donated a signed Zac Brown Band guitar, which will be auctioned off to raise additional money for the cause.
“We at Hop On A Cure are thrilled to support this innovative and accessible potential new therapy,” says Hop On A Cure CEO Nic Shefrin. “We are also excited to champion promising young talent, like Dr. Nolan, who have committed themselves to ALS research.
