When Sophie M. Lawry was younger, her grandmother, Brigid Boyle, had multiple sclerosis and was in a wheelchair. People at the Bureau for Exceptional Children & Adults at Jericho were kind and helpful to Boyle and her family, so Lawry wants to give back to the bureau.
She will be performing at a benefit concert for Jericho on Sunday, Sept. 26, at 1:30 p.m. at 537 Northampton St., Holyoke.
Other featured performers will be Dan Kane and Friends and The Singing Priests.
“There will be singing in a variety of genres including, Pop, Jazz, Motown and Broadway,” said Lawry, of Westfield. The set list includes, “The Impossible Dream,” “Say a Little Prayer,” “Hopelessly Devoted,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “How Great Thou Art.”
Lawrywill play guitar for a couple of songs, and Kane, playing piano, will accompany her and other singers including Freddie Marion, Traci Mnich Napoli, Allie Masadrelli, Alannah Judd and Shea Braceland.
Lawryhas been singing with Kane since she was four. “I am now 14, so I have basically grown up with Dan Kane and Friends,” she said.
This will be her third benefit concert for Jericho, which is dedicated to breaking down barriers experienced by individuals and families living with disabilities.
“From my time with the Dan Kane Singers, I have made so many friends, learned many lessons and have been given incredible opportunities like singing at the Soldiers’ Home, Western Mass. senior centers, shopping malls, The Iron Horse and even the Hampden County jails,” said Lawry, who has sung the national anthem at places like Gillette and Harvard stadiums and for professional teams like the Pawtucket RedSox, Springfield Thunderbirds and Hartford Yard Goats.
She said the Jericho benefit concert will be “an incredible and very entertaining afternoon full of music.”
The concert will take place rain or shine, either outside or in the Father Robert Wagner Celebration Center.
“I am excited for people to return to live outdoor entertainment,” Lawry said. “This is going to be a great day, and it will raise money for Jericho. People will also get the chance to experience the beauty of the Jericho campus and learn more about this valuable organization.”
There will be a noon outdoor Mass celebrated by The Most Rev. William D. Byrne, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, followed by the 1:30 outdoor concert.
A light lunch will be served after the noon Mass before the concert begins.
The cost for the concert is $15 per ticket, which includes refreshments.
For tickets and more information, go to jerichobeca.org.
If you go
Event: Concert to benefit The Bureau for Exceptional Children & Adults at Jericho
When: Sunday, Sept. 26, 1:30 p.m.
Where: 537 Northampton St., Holyoke
Cost: $15
For tickets and more information: jerichobeca.org