By Karen Bliss
On May 29, starting at 6 a.m., Indie88 held a 12-hour radiothon to honour Dave "Bookie" Bookman and help raise money for MusiCounts in his memory. The original goal of $10,000 — which would be matched by the station — was quickly surpassed. The total raised by this
a.m. exceeds $68,000 and continues to climb.
At a private tribute at the Horseshoe the following night, at which friends and family spoke of Bookie's impact and bands including Sloan, Blue Rodeo, Billy Talent, and Broken Social Scene performed, CARAS president and CEO Allan Reid praised Indie88, calling it "one of the most successful fundraising events MusiCounts has ever been part of. So, I just want to say a huge thanks to Indie88 and the entire staff there for helping put instruments in the hands of kids, first off, and also just helping us as we — everybody in this room — goes through Bookie's loss. So, thank you for that.
"Just to put this in perspective, what that actually means, that will put instruments into 13 elementary school music programs, fully funded — ukuleles, recorders, glockenspiels, everything. We haven't quite figured out how we will honour Bookie yet, but we will," he added. "I will say one thing: when those kids get those instruments, they will know the name Dave Bookman, and they will remember Dave Bookman." – Read Karen Bliss’s feature in full on the Samaritanmag website and donations can be made online here.
(L-R): Mark O'Keeffe, A&R Director, UMC; Julie Adam, President & CEO, UMC; Braden Lam; Meagan Davidson, artist management.Jesse Milns