About three weeks ago our friend Margarida Tree, owner of One Yoga Planet in Ft. Pierce, called us and asked if we could perform for a fund-raiser being held for a local Stuart man called Brother Judah. She shared that it was for helping a fellow musician and really cool guy pay for medical treatments for lung cancer. Once we spoke to Deborah Silver, the fund-raiser organizer to solidify the plans,Manuka Honey members were absolutely all on board.
This past Saturday, June 19th, Manuka Honey kicked off the event to a packed house there at the Blake Library in Stuart. For the duration of the event, from 1 – 4 pm, somewhere around 300 people came to show their love and support for this man. Following Manuka Honey’s performance were the belly dancer’s, and yes they were a BIG hit. Margarida’s sister, Yvonne, who teaches belly dancing at One Yoga Planet, brought a troop of dancers that wowed the crowd with their performance. She followed up their performance with a beautiful solo dance. Brother Judah’s young students sang a sweet heartfelt song for him while he looked on from the side of the stage. And to cap off the day all of his drumming students and fellow drummers created a fantastic drum circle. The resonant sound of all the drums exploded within the auditorium.
Although we hadn’t previously met Brother Judah until the day of the fund-raiser, we felt honored to spend the day with him and all the people that love him and support him through his healing process. Throughout the day we learned that this drummer taught racial tolerance and family values through his drumming outreach classes to the local school children, and the Boys and Girls Clubs. You could tell by watching him that his nature was to give, and here he was learning to receive. Not only were Brother Judah’s young students there in full force, so were his adult students and peers, and everyone had a blast! Once again, I have to say how honored we felt to be a part of such a wonderful community event and to send healing, energy, and love to a fellow musician in need. We hope to meet again!
By Cheri Abrams
“For those about to rock, we salute you.” – AC/DC
