Chris Koster to perform at concert fundraiser for MS

Emily Stewart, Echo Correspondent

Singer-songwriter Chris Koster, formerly of rock band The Glorious Sons, will stop by Woodstock on June 13 and perform to raise money for families living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Koster will perform an acoustic set at Unifor Hall on 126 Beale St. starting at 8 p.m., with doors opening one hour prior. The singer-songwriter released his latest EP, Color of the Night in November 2024.

“I think the actual evening will be fun both to listen to his music and to listen to some of his stories about life on the road as a rock star and he's a pretty engaging individual and a very accomplished musician so it'll be a fun night on those fronts and the proceeds go to a very good cause for MS,” said event organizer Tony DeJohn.

DeJohn and his wife Leslie Armstrong-DeJohn held 25 fundraising Walks for MS over the past 28 years. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there were three of those years without a fundraising walking event. They met with other residents and discussed changes to fundraising strategies.

“Then a light bulb went off. I contacted Chris to see if we could hire him to play a show for us - where he would play music, as well as share his tales from the road,” Armstrong-DeJohn said to the Echo.

She added fundraising efforts should change with donor’s capacity.

“I feel that due to the large number of fundraising campaigns out there, people are not only experiencing donor fatigue but are leading busier lives and may not have the time to

participate in ways that they did in the past,” she said. “So, we are changing things up.”

Both DeJohn’s father and sister passed away from complications due to MS. His father was diagnosed when DeJohn was young, and his sister was just 14 years old when she received the diagnosis. DeJohn’s father lived in Parkwood Memorial Hospital for the last 20 years, and his sister lived in assisted living.

Growing up, DeJohn accompanied his father to Woodingford Lodge for swims run by the MS Society of Oxford County support group.

"We used to go swimming once a week and I got to meet, at that point, some of the members of the Oxford County chapter of the MS Society,” he said.

After his sister’s diagnosis, DeJohn was asked by the organization to volunteer.

"I was one very young person amongst a group of seniors that was pretty dedicated to raising money and stuff, so it was good” he added.

DeJohn was a board member for Oxford’s chapter for 30 years until the MS Society of Canada restructured and closed the local chapter. Fundraisers like the upcoming concert with Koster will support ongoing research.

"Some of these research studies span many, many years and those continue to need funding,” DeJohn said. “I know historically a good portion of the funds that are raised go towards research and ultimately research to find a cure."

He also said raising funds covers the cost of assistive devices and accommodations for people living with MS, such as grab bars, washroom renovations, and widening door frames.

"It's a broad range of things, but effectively it's providing money for assistive devices that are outside the budget of somebody that's going through this,” DeJohn explained. “We weren't flushed with money growing up and my father benefitted from those kind of things as well like canes and walkers and wheelchairs and those kinds of things were all part of the program."

Tickets are $22.60 in advance and $25 at the door. To purchase tickets online, visit https://tinyurl.com/chris-koster-ms-fundraiser-tix.