It’s not every day that you get to fulfill a dream, but that is exactly what happened in the past month.

The past year, my Mom & I have taken our benefit concert for FIRST (Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types) on tour.  We have gone to the hometowns of other people with ichthyosis and put on a show to not only raise money for a great organization, but also to educate their community on what the skin disorder is and to hopefully make life a little easier for them growing up.  Our first stop was in Mechanicsburg, PA then we headed to Lancaster, PA and finished out the year in Johnsonburg, PA.  We’ve been invited all over the continental US – Long Island, Pittsburgh, Philly, DC, Seattle, Kansas, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio.  And we have been invited internationally to Canada and Australia!  I cannot wait to see where this tour takes us.  It has been life-changing for all involved so far and we’ve made wonderful new connections with people that will last forever.

When we were at our latest tour stop, a local recording studio came.  They were so blown away not only by the talent but also by the inspirational message of hope, strength, and confidence that they volunteered their time and studio to record a compilation album that we can sell at future tour dates.  So, our winter project was gathering a bunch of my talented friends and recording our songs in the studio.  Amanda and Herman, who own the studio, were great to work with!  And it was a lot of fun being in the studio doing something I never thought I would get the chance to do.

And now?  We have the CDs available for purchase!  We held a huge CD Release Party back in May where all the artists performed their songs live for the audience.  If any of you would be interested in purchasing one you can contact our tour program coordinator Tracie at grace-notes@live.com (put “Release the Butterfly CD” as the subject line) or call 814-929-5970.  The CDs are $10 each and all the proceeds are going to FIRST to help with research for ichthyosis and to continue the programs that the organization provides for its members.