On Friday, February 1st, 2019, Jenn Russell and her band will be hosting an event alongside Liberty Lane in support of victims of family violence. Big Band Bonanza! — officially the release party of Russell‘s second album, Triple Step — will be a night aimed at raising money that will directly go towards helping those victims, so that they can continue living happy and peaceful lives.
Russell‘s passion for music began at the young age of 9, and by 14 she was already playing in jazz bands. As her day job, however, Russell is the Chief Medical Officer of New Brunswick. Prior to this, she also gained extensive experience working in public health and in addiction and mental health services, among other prominent areas of the field.
Now well into both her musical and medical careers, Russell is able to meld her two passions and use her musical personality to create opportunities to give back to her community. These come in the form of musically-oriented fundraisers that have either a direct or indirect affiliation with medicine, previously including events in support of breast cancer research, Fisher House, the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre, Helping Hands for Haiti, Village of Hope and Hospice Fredericton.
This time, her album release party is doubling as a fundraiser in support of Liberty Lane, a local Fredericton organization that provides housing to women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. In addition, Liberty Lane offers a Family Violence Prevention Outreach program to support women and children who are victims of domestic violence but who are not within the housing program.
“I had considered a couple of other organizations including the Red Cross as well as the United Way. I voiced my ideas to a few friends, and several of them replied that I should really consider Liberty Lane. I started doing a bit of digging to learn what the organization was all about, and I was sold immediately,” says Russell.
“Victims of family violence are obviously a very vulnerable part of our population, and from a health perspective a safe social and physical environment are necessary components (social determinants […]) of a person’s health and well-being. The absence of a safe living environment has a negative impact on health.
“When I approached the Executive Director with the fundraising idea she discussed it with the board members, who were supportive and positive about working together.”
For Big Band Bonanza, Russell will be backed by her band, which is made up of nine other talented and local musicians, including the Hypochondriacs’ Kelly Waterhouse on tenor sax and Jeannine Gallant on trombone.
Jenn Russell Music: WEB | FACEBOOK
Liberty Lane: WEB | FACEBOOK | TWITTER