Piano concert by CMU alumni benefits homeless shelter
The Immanuel Lutheran Church hosted a piano concert fundraiser for Isabella County Restoration House (ICRH), a rotating homeless shelter, on Oct. 18, at 2 pm to 4 pm. Classical pianist Brandon Byrne, a CMU alumni, performed 15 songs, several were composed by him.
“I was the organist here before and we had the idea of the fundraiser, and I was glad to do it,’ Byrne said.
ICRH is a collaborative effort to address homelessness in Isabella County. ICRH operates a rotating homeless shelter that works hand-in-hand with local churches. This is ICRH’s third year of operation and it is steadily growing, with more than 1,000 volunteers.
“We’ve brought people together,” said President of ICRH Travis Burton. “We’ve changed the way people perceive homelessness.”
Pastor Dana Hendershot, vice president of ICRH and the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church, helped organize the concert.
“We wanted to pick a charity that the community would support,” she said.
An estimated 78 people last year came through the shelter during the five months it was open.
All the money donated at the concert will go towards helping the shelter provide for more people, or staying open longer. The total amount of money donated on Oct 18 was $714.
“Donations are welcome, we are a growing organization and hiring staff,” Burton said.
Donations can be made to ICRH and mailed at ICRH Coworker1, 2625 Denison Dr., Mount Pleasant, MI 48858.
