In July, I had the great honor of sharing the many successes of Rockin For A Cure with nearly 100 alumni and guests at the MSARP 20th Anniversary Reunion. It was a special occasion, since nearly everyone in the audience had participated in some capacity during the past 24 years of Rockin For A Cure ALS Benefits—these alumni and friends performed as musicians, volunteered, or supported by attending. And as you’re about to read, my short speech included a large “Ollie Mae” helping of gratitude and acknowledgment for everyone’s participation in building towards next year’s 25th Annual Rockin For A Cure – A Live Music Benefit for ALS.
Below are some excerpts from my remarks at the MSARP 20th Anniversary Reunion
“Tonight I’m here to talk about the great success that we all know as Rockin For A Cure. Steve Weekes founded this event in 1999, after being diagnosed with ALS. And each year, we honor the lives of those who’ve died from ALS. That includes Scout Alumni, Mike McKenna, Chuck Eikel, Steve Weekes, and most recently, Ken Geise.”
Mike Anello“But I want to jump quickly to 2005. That was the first year when Madison Scouts Alumni took charge of the event, and set the standard of excellence for future events, and Madison Scouts DNA was all over it.”
“And it was at the 2005 benefit that Randy Ferrie began talking up the Alumni Performance Project. Of course, the following year, 2006, many of you in this room were at Rockin For A Cure, because the MSARP horn ensemble performed at the event.”
“20 years later, we’re getting ready to celebrate the 25th Annual Rockin For A Cure — Right here in this room!”
“In that time, we’ve raised a lot of money – over $200,000 raised. We’ve touched a lot of people, and we’ve made a tremendous impact on the dignity of ALS patient services, here in Wisconsin.”
“Very importantly, we’ve continued to evolve. This year we’ve taken a huge step in directly supporting ALS patients. We’ve created something called the NEVER WALK ALONE – Quality of Life Grant. These are $1,000 grants that are completely unrestricted. These funds can be used in whatever manner that helps patients and families best – they decide. We’ve already issued 9 of these grants in the last two months.”
“Another new area of support helps ALS patients and families to navigate powerful new technologies for AI-assisted communication. This year, we’ve provided $20,000 to support communications training through Bridging Voice, a nonprofit that provides free technical training and support to patients, family, and caregivers. Because for someone with ALS, communication isn't just a convenience — It's dignity, connection, and quality of life.”
“So, here we are, getting ready to celebrate 25 years, and this got me to thinking about how special ROCKIN has become. NO OTHER DRUM CORPS ALUMNI have ever achieved anything like this. But there’s a powerful reason why we’ve achieved this. Madison Alumni are typically people who:
- #1 – go on to deliver significant positive impact to others, whether in their family, at work, and in their communities, and
- ·#2 – they are individuals who take pride in those impacts, and feel honored to play these roles that make the world a better place.”
“That’s why Rockin For A Cure has succeeded!”
“And that brings me to the business cards on your dinner table. Although the messages are quite simple, they provide a powerful roadmap to next year’s important milestone: Let Your Pride Power Hope!”
“So, in closing, I want to challenge all of my brothers and sisters to come back home NEXT April, to celebrate this important milestone: The 25th Annual Rockin For A Cure.”
“And now, because each of you helped build this Live Music Benefit for ALS —Everyone, stand up and give yourselves a big hand, and we’ll see you in April, 2027!”
~ Mike Anello, Director of Rockin4ALS, Madison Scouts Alum (82,83)