For more than three decades and 19 albums, Tom Chapin has entertained audiences with a variety of musical styles.
On April 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lakeview Middle School auditorium, Warsaw, Chapin will perform a one-hour family concert to help benefit the American Cancer Society. Tickets are $5 each.
The concert also will be in tribute to former Lakeview Middle School language arts teacher Sherry Plummer. Plummer died in February after battling a brain tumor for more than a year. Plummer's family will be the guest of honor at the Chapin concert.
Tickets for the concert can be purchased by calling 574-269-7211 or 574-527-2856.
Also, in memory of Plummer, two teams were formed consisting of LMS teachers, aides, staff and spouses to participate in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life May 3-4. They will have a table set up at the April 24 concert to accept donations for the teams.
Tom Chapin is the younger brother of Harry Chapin, according to retired LMS teacher Jeannie Francalancia. Harry is the songwriter of the classic folk song "Cat's In the Cradle," among other recordings, and also established the World Hunger Year. WHY is a leading advocate for innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty. Harry died in a car accident in 1981.
Francalancia said Tom Chapin sometimes performs with two other musicians. For the April 24 concert, she said, Tom will perform solo.
Audience members can bring cameras and get photographs with Tom Chapin, as well as autographs. He will have CDs available for purchase.
"I really can't say enough about what an excellent concert he does," Francalancia said of Tom Chapin.
The concert will be great for the entire family, she said. It was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. so younger children can see it and get home in time for bed.
"It's an opportunity for families to stick together," said Francalancia.
Some people will go to the concert just to see Tom, she said. Others will go in memory of Plummer. "Either way," she said, "it's a fun thing to do" and a great cause.
Chapin's music career includes adult and kids' albums, contemporary folk and pop. He has recorded eight albums of adult-oriented material. The newest, "The Turning of the Tide," was released in September 2006, according to information provided by Francalancia.
Chapin's family albums have received awards from the American Library Association, Parents' Choice, the New York Music Awards, the National Association of Parenting Publications and Parents Magazine. Five of his family recordings have received Grammy nominations for Best Musical Album for Children.
Relay for Life is done throughout the U.S. in most counties. It is the American Cancer Society's largest fundraiser each year.
Francalancia has participated in the Relay for Life in other parts of Indiana. When the LMS staff learned Plummer was ill, Francalancia said they didn't know how long she had to live. Though Francalancia had retired from teaching, she attended a teachers meeting in January to talk to other teachers about forming a walk team in honor of Plummer.
Ten to 15 walkers are needed for a team. By the end of the meeting, Francalancia said 31 signed up. Not just teachers, but also staff, aides and spouses. Two teams were formed.
Several weeks after that meeting, Plummer died. The teams were no longer going to be walking in honor of Plummer, but in memory of the teacher who helped start the English as a second language program for Warsaw schools.
Each participating member has a goal to raise $100. Some team members paid the $100 themselves. Others asked their family members for donations. The school also is raising money through fundraisers.
To have a American Cancer Society paper foot with their name on it, LMS students were asked for a contribution of 50 cents per foot. In just six days, Francalancia said students purchased 1,000 feet, raising $500. The feet hang on the walls in the LMS cafeteria.
Other schools in the Warsaw Community School Corp. also have contributed money for the two Relay teams in memory of Plummer.
The Relay for Life is at the county fairgrounds May 3-4.
An opening ceremony kicks it off at noon May 3. Cancer survivors take the opening lap.
At dusk May 3, the Luminaria Ceremony will take place. Participants take a lap around the track in silence to reflect on the people who have fought the battle or are currently fighting cancer. People can still purchase a luminaria, Francalancia said, by calling Diana Stull at Lakeview Middle School for more information. Francalancia said Plummer will be honored during the ceremony. Plummer's family also has been invited to the Relay.
The Relay ends at 8 a.m. May 4 with a closing ceremony.
During the 20-hour event, the Relay teams walk around the track and continue to raise funds for cancer research through various fundraisers. Francalancia said the two LMS teams will have a bake sale, raffle and craft items for sale.
