How Chad Holbrook landed Old Dominion for benefit concert
Having an opportunity to have fun and help a good cause is a win-win opportunity.
Or in this case, a “Win Anyway” opportunity.
The Reece Holbrook Win Anyway Foundation is bringing the popular country music band Old Dominion to Columbia for a fundraising concert on Oct. 6 at the Township Auditorium.
In 2012, College of Charleston baseball coach Chad Holbrook and his wife, Jenn, established the foundation dedicated to kids and their fight against cancer and other terminal illnesses. The foundation provides support for seriously ill children and their families, the facilities that treat them and other charitable causes.
The foundation was created after the Holbrooks’ successful fight against cancer with their son Reece, now a healthy 15-year-old. At the age of 2, Reece was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and the family lived through more than three years of heartache and uncertainty while Reece underwent treatment for the disease.
Their experience led them to want to help others in similar situations.
Holbrook, the former University of South Carolina baseball coach, talked about the foundation, and the concert that will raise money to help children fighting cancer:
Q: Will your move to the College of Charleston from USC have any affect on the foundation?
A: I certainly hope not. There have been so many people who have been loyal to our foundation and our cause who live in the Columbia area. It’s a cause not only close to my and Jenn’s heart, but to so many others as well. It shouldn’t matter where I live or where I coach; we plan to keep up the foundation’s work. We’ll keep working on it in South Carolina, in the Midlands and in Charleston.
Q: How did Old Dominion end up playing a concert for the foundation’s fundraiser?
A: We have some contacts in country music. Last year Vince Gill played a concert for us, and he had done a couple of concerts for us in the past. He has a lot of contacts. Through his contacts, and some contacts locally – my good buddy is best friends with Vince Gill – we put our heads together and found out Old Dominion is one of those groups who likes to do some charity shows, and they were going to be in the area as it turned out. It was a perfect fit, and we’re excited to have them.
Q: Why should folks come out for the concert?
A: First and foremost, it’s going to be a great night of entertainment. There are a lot of country music fans in Columbia, and Old Dominion is one of the newest and hottest country bands in the country. It’s very rare to have this hot of a band to come play at a small venue like The Township.
It’s great entertainment for a great cause. I have a lot of friends in the Columbia area, and there is a Children’s Hospital there that means a lot to us. We want to do all we can to help families affected by pediatric cancer and help the facilities that help those children.
Q: Why did you and Jenn start the foundation?
A: There are so many kids out there who are fighting cancer that don’t have the resources that we had when my son was going through the battle. It’s an underfunded disease. Very little money is put by our government into research for the pediatric cancer battle. Our son had a 3 1/2 year chemo battle. Once we got him in good shape, when he was in remission and cured, we felt we were in a position to help others.
Q: Do you have any other thoughts about the Old Dominion fundraising concert?
A: It’s going to promise to be a great night. For those who like country music, it’s going to be fun and entertaining. And in the back of your minds, you can also feel good knowing doing you’re something good. We’re trying to make a difference and help the kids as well. This is a popular band, and it’s playing in a small venue. We hope to sell it out. We hope to have everyone who love country music and who has a soft place in their hearts for kids fighting cancer to come out and have a great time!
If you go
Old Dominion
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6.
WHERE: Township Auditorium, 1703 Taylor St.
TICKETS: $29.50-$49.50 at Ticketmaster, 800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. VIP packages available.
About Old Dominion
Old Dominion blends old-fashioned country charm, lyrical wit and rock ’n’ roll grit into radio-friendly, hook-heavy pop nuggets.
The band performed its newly released single “No Such Thing as a Broken Heart” at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
No. 1 hits include “Break Up With Him,” “Snapback” and “Song For Another Time.”
The band spent two summers on Kenny Chesney’s The Big Revival Tour (2015) and Spread The Love Tour (2016).
In 2016, the Academy of Country Music Awards named the band New Group of the Year; the American Country Countdown Awards named it Breakthrough Group of the Year; the Association of Independent Music Publishers named it Songwriter Artist of the Year; and Music Row named it Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
SOURCE: olddominionband.com
This story was originally published September 27, 2017 at 2:29 PM with the headline "How Chad Holbrook landed Old Dominion for benefit concert."