Area artists are gearing up for an evening of music and entertainment at The Loft this month in support of SOYA (Save Our Young Adults).
Called "Singing to Save," the event will raise money from ticket sales for the Gore Street non-profit, which has long been dedicated to helping victims and their families who live with substance use disorder.
The lineup of talent includes:
- Frank Deresti & Greig Nori
- Ava Nori & Ethan Roode
- Brandon Ruch & Juliana Regan
- Jay Case
- Greg MacLachlan
- Andree-Ann Deschenes
Event coordinator Paul Hergott says the benefit comes at a time when food insecurity in Sault Ste. Marie has worsened, including at SOYA's west-end depot where their shelves have become bare.
“The resources in town are just dwindling with the food banks,” he told SooToday. “Harvest Algoma is struggling, and the needs are only getting greater.”
“SOYA are the unsung heroes; they’re out there all the time, and some Saturdays they’re doing over 200 meals – and they get no funding. It’s all volunteer and donations. They have a real need, and they help a lot of people.”
Hergott is the former president of Citizens Helping Addicts and Alcoholics get Treatment (CHAAT), a vocal group in town who fought to improve access and expand services for those suffering from substance use during the pandemic.
Now a retired physician, Hergott is dedicating his time to assist locals in need of help – a passion which was sparked by an unfortunate incident in his home three years ago.
“Our house had been broken into in September of 2020; there was a poor young girl passed out on our bed when my wife came home,” he recalls. “She was on crystal meth. We went from kind of being angry to sympathetic. We realized there’s a lot of people in town who need help and aren’t getting it.”
“Our needs are great, and our resources are getting smaller. We really need to get the empathy of the community.”
Planning the event alongside Luisa Coppola, the Nori family, and SOYA founder Connie Raynor-Elliott, Hergott is hopeful that Singing to Save could become an annual fundraiser.
“If we can sell out it will raise $6,000 to help SOYA buy food to give out,” he says. “That’ll be a fair bit of money to fill their shelves and help people for the next few months.”
“SOYA works so hard; their emotions are in it. They are there for the family and the suffering, and they are also with the homeless at their storefront. They do a lot of work.”
Singing to Save takes place on Thursday Sept. 21 inside The Loft above Algoma Conservatory. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by clicking here.