Midwest Music Foundation
We are thrilled to be featuring Midwest Music Foundation on this month’s Community Minute. Midwest Music Foundation supports the music community through providing physical and mental health care assistance, education and career development, events and resources.
Midwest Music Foundation is currently focusing resources to bring awareness on the mental health of local artists as the pandemic has drastically impacted their lives. The pandemic has added tremendous amounts of stress on artists as they haven’t been able to use their musical talents to provide for themselves and their families. They believe that the mental health of artists is often overlooked and want to provide those artists with much needed resources.
Midwest Music Foundation all started because of Abigail Henderson. She had her own personal health care scare when she was on tour in New Orleans. The New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic helped provide health care access to Abigail so that she could receive the care she needed and was able to continue touring. This inspired her to provide this access to care to other musicians in Kansas City.
Her plans were paused when she was diagnosed with Stage III inflammatory breast cancer. The Kansas City music community came to her aid through a benefit concert in 2008 and gave Abby, her husband and her bandmate, Chris Meck, a platform to establish a coalition, which is now known as the Midwest Music Foundation.
After a long, hard-fought battle with cancer, Abby passed away at age 36 in August 2013. Her passion for music was the deepest inspiration for Midwest Music Foundation, and continues to provide musicians with opportunities for career development.
Rhonda Lyne, Executive Director and Sondra Freeman, Director of Promotions and Artist Relations have continued to grow the organization in Abby’s honor. Abby’s Fund specifically provides grants to musicians faced with emergency health care expenses. Midwest Music Foundation also provides numerous other resources. In addition to health care, they provide emergency and healthy living opportunities, press contacts, music blogs, audio gear, recording studios, music venues and crisis hotlines.
Here at Community Lending, we were inspired by Abigail’s vision and what her dream created for musicians in the Kansas City area. If you would like to support Midwest Music Foundation and what they are doing for musicians in our city, you can donate to their organization here!