BAXTER VILLAGE BLOG

By Jenny Overman – joverman@fortmilltimes.com

The road to $1 million is paved with good intentions.

Charity Case, a Charlotte-based band that raises funds for the Grin Kids charity, is kicking off the “Road to $1 million” Saturday at a performance during Baxter Village’s spring festival.

The band, including lead guitarist and Baxter business owner Eddie Zimmerman, known as Eddie Zee, has raised nearly $900,000 in its 11 years performing.

With their upcoming gigs, members of Charity Case say they hope to make that number a cool $1 million.

“We thought, ‘What can we do that we’ve never done before?’” Zimmerman said. “We thought, ‘Let’s say we gave away a million bucks. We made a million dollars and we gave it all away.’ So we decided to go for it. We’re doing less shows for more money, and we commit to working towards that million bucks.”

Charity Case was the brainchild of Charlotte-based morning radio talk show hosts Ace & TJ.

After deciding to start a band dedicated to raising money for charity, Ace connected with Zimmerman as a potential source for rehearsal space.

After the original meeting at The Playroom, Zimmerman’s rehearsal studio in Charlotte, Zimmerman became interested in being part of the band and became its music director.

“It was a way to give back and share the blessings I’ve gotten with other people,” Zimmerman said. “It’s made an impact on people’s lives. That keeps me going, even though it is a tremendous amount of work.”

The band members perform for no personal fee.

“The only people paid are the people who do the production for us, sound and lights, trucking and that kind of stuff. Everything else goes to the kids,” Zimmerman said.

Grin Kids is a nonprofit organization that takes a plane full of terminally ill and chronically handicapped children and their families for an all-expenses paid trip to Disney World each year.

“Some of these parents have never seen their children smile, ever,” Zimmerman said. “And they get around Mickey Mouse and cry and hug and do things some parents have never seen them do. Some of these parents have never left their block with their kids because it is such a difficult thing to travel with their kids.”

The Baxter Village show is a free, family-friendly show.

The band’s fee, donated to Grin Kids, has been paid for by festival sponsors, including Zimmerman’s Playroom Academy of Music, also in Baxter.

The show begins at 6:30 p.m. with Playroom Academy students.

Charity Case will take the stage around 7 p.m.

For more information about Charity Case and the Road to $1 Million, go to www. charitycaseband.com.