The Road Hammers Join Ride as Celebrity Guest!Riders Registered Before August 1st Receive an Early Bird Rate of $99
For Immediate Release:
Vancouver, BC - The 13th Annual Music Therapy Ride is set to hit the highway on Saturday, September 13th, 2014. This year the ride will once again be rolling down the Sea-To-Sky highway, beginning at The Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam and ending at the Garibaldi Lift Co. in Whistler. For the 13th year in succession, the Vancouver Motorcycle Police Drill Team will provide a presidential escort for the entire journey.
Established by members of the Vancouver music industry in 2002 with representatives from booking agencies, radio stations, record labels, talent managers, concert promoters and recording artists, the Music Therapy Ride is a charity ride designed to raise funds for community-based music therapy services in British Columbia. Proceeds are administered by the Music Therapy Association of British Columbia, awarding grants to deserving music therapists and care facilities.
The money raised from the Music Therapy Ride is used to support the building, maintenance and continued use of mobile recording studios designed specifically for music therapists called Bandwagons. These mobile studios contain recording software, sound processing equipment and a variety of musical instruments. The Music Therapy Ride has funded the creation of 2 Bandwagons thus far. Bandwagon 1 arrived at its permanent residence, the BC Children's Hospital, in July 2011. Created in 2012, Bandwagon 2 provides music therapy programs in the lower mainland of British Columbia, traveling to various institutions for six-week residencies. Bandwagon 2 recently made the trip to Vancouver Island for the first time. The funds from this year’s Music Therapy Ride will be used to build Bandwagon 3 and provide continuing financial support for Music Therapists’ services.
As a result of twelve years of dedication, support and generosity, the Music Therapy Ride has raised over $600,000 for the Provincial and National Music Therapy Trust Fund. Recipients of funds raised from the Music Therapy Ride have included: Canuck Place, BC Cancer Agency,Vancouver Oral Centre for Deaf Children, Camp Moomba, Brookhaven Extended Care Facility, George Pearson Centre, BC Women’s Hospital, the Society for Disability Arts and Culture and many more.
Joining the ride this year as the celebrity guest is Canadian country music group The Road Hammers. The Road Hammers are proud to be a part of the 2014 Music Therapy Ride: "Over the years we’ve experienced the power of music change people’s lives in so many ways. We know that for some people, music provides one of the few effective options for treatment of physical rehab, mood disorders, pain control and deficient social skills. We’re excited to join the ride, sing a few songs and have a wonderful day with friends and fans in beautiful BC. Make sure to join us on Sept 13."
Reservations can be made at: musictherapyride.org. Early bird tickets are $99 until August 1st and include breakfast, bar-b-que lunch in Whistler, live auction, custom t-shirts and more.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jen Fritz | Fritz Media Phone: 604-626-7045 Email: jen at fritzmedia.ca