MARIETTA - Tickets are still available for the Aug. 16 concert by actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band designed to provide a lifetime of help to wounded Marietta soldier Kyle Hockenberry.
U.S. Army Pfc. Hockenberry, a 2010 Frontier High School graduate, was injured while on patrol in Afghanistan and suffered the loss of both legs and one arm. The concert is a joint venture of the Gary Sinise Foundation and the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
According to Bonnie Hockenberry, the soldier's aunt, organizers looked at the demographics and the amount of money to be raised and considered holding the concert at a venue in a larger city. That was not what Pfc. Hockenberry had in mind, however, so Marietta College's Dyson Baudo Center will host the event.
"Kyle asked that the concert be in his hometown so that people would have an opportunity to share in the festivities surrounding the visit of Sinise," she said.
Tickets are available online at www.supportkyle.com or by calling (800) 293-5949 and they are at all local Peoples News locations. The cost ranges from $35 to $75.
Organizers say only around 700 tickets have been sold of the 3,000 available and the June 29 storm that hit the area likely has had an impact. Tickets went on sale June 26.
Fact Box
Kyle Hockenberry Benefit Concert
Cost: $35, $55 or $75.
Available online at www.supportkyle.com or (800) 293-5949. Site will open to www.MetroTix.com. Fees will apply.
Also available at Peoples News, 224 Putnam St., Marietta; 2821 Grand Central Ave., Vienna; 412 Washington Blvd., Belpre; North Plaza and 1624 Blizzard Drive in Parkersburg and the Peoples News office by calling (304) 865-0566.
To contribute items for Kyle's house: www.buildingforamericasbravest.org
Golf scramble at Oxbow Golf Course in Belpre
When: Aug. 4, registration at 8 a.m.
Cost: $75 per golfer, $144 minimum.
For information: Connie Grimes at 376-7133.
Tunnel to Towers 5K run
www.facebook.com/#!/TunnelToTowersRunMarietta
"I believe that the storm took the wind out of the sails," said Marietta safety-service director Jonathan Hupp, a local organizer of the event. "But this concert is a way for the community to rally around a guy who has given a whole lot."
One hundred percent of the money raised from the concert and other fundraisers will go toward building a "smart" house for Hockenberry. Hupp said any expenses incurred in trying to bring the band members to town will be paid for through Sinise's foundation.
A website is available for people who would like to contribute specific items to Hockenberry's house. Including him, there are 14 soldiers listed in the smart home registry.
Among the items needed for Hockenberry's house and listed on www.buildingforamericasbravest.org are doors, windows, a washer and dryer, electrical outlets, bathtub, roofing and more. Items range in price from 39 cents for utility trench backfill (400 needed) to $22,160 for an elevator. People have the option to choose as many or as few items as they would like. When the needed amount of items is purchased, the item is marked as donated.
"If we sell out the concert, it should bring $135,000 for the house. Ticket sales will go a long way to getting the home started," said Hupp. "But also, if you feel like you can't get to the concert, this is a way for people to help ... don't feel like you have to stand on the sidelines."
Another option for folks to contribute any amount is to give to the Kyle Hockenberry fund at Peoples Bank, according to Hupp. The cost of a typical smart home is $500,000.
Upcoming fundraising events will include a golf scramble at Oxbow Golf Course in Belpre Aug. 4 and Marietta's own Tunnel to Towers 5K run Sept. 8 at 8 p.m.
