Open Road Founder Rallies Artists And Staff For 15 Acts of Kindness In 15 Days For 15th Anniversary

By External Source

Ron Kitchener began his RGK Entertainment Group a quarter century ago to help manage the careers of up-and-coming Canadian acts, primarily in the country genre. One of his first, a client to this day, is award-winning singer/songwriter Jason McCoy. The roster has also included Johnny Reid, Dean Brody, Madeline Merlo and Tim Hicks. A decade into RGK’s run, Kitchener diversified the company by adding a record label, which for a significant spell distributed Big Machine Label Group, and their artist, Taylor Swift, as well Reba McEntire and Brantley Gilbert.

The year 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of that venture, Open Road Recordings. To celebrate, Kitchener and his staff decided to do 15 acts of kindness In 15 days, leading up to the 2018 Canadian Country Music Association Awards (CCMAs) Sept. 9 in Hamilton, Ontario.

A total of $18,500 was donated to 15 different organizations or events across the country, but as Kitchener tells Samaritanmag, many of the activities and donations were made in the moment, supporting causes near and dear to the hearts of Open Road and RGK talent. There was no set amount for each donation, and sometimes time and talent were also donated as well as cash.

 What was the impetus behind doing 15 acts of kindness in 15 weeks?

– Continue reading the interview conducted by Jim Barber on the SamaritanMag website.