Geddy Lee To Be Honoured at Artists For Peace & Justice Fundraiser
Geddy at home with pets' Stanley and Lucy Wasserman.
By Karen Bliss
Rush singer/bassist Geddy Lee, who has been twice honoured for major humanitarian awards by the Canadian music industry alongside his bandmates, will accept a solo Lifetime Achievement Award this Saturday (Sept. 11) for his philanthropy at the Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) gala in Toronto.
Held annually during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) — this year outdoors at a private residence with safety protocols in place — the exclusive affair has raised more than $33 million to help provide access to education for the impoverished youth in Haiti, including the building of a free high school on a seven-acre campus in Port-au-Prince and a five-acre film and music tech training campus in Jacmel.
Lee, Alex Lifeson (guitarist) and the late Neil Peart (drums), who together as Rush sold more than 40 million albums, performed for countless causes over their 40 years from disaster relief to cancer to hunger to the environment.
The award honours “[Lee’s] commitment to philanthropy,” the press release states, citing his support of Brain Cancer research, Toronto Food Bank, Alberta Floods, Doctors without Borders, Grapes for Humanity, United Way, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and Casey House. – Continue reading the Samaritan feature online.
