High School Band Plays Free Concerts To Benefit Cancer Patients

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BEDFORD (CBSDFW.COM) -  Southlake area youth from The Just Brass Band presented Texas Health Resources Foundation and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford with a check for $1,300 which the band raised playing free concerts to benefit the Bluebonnet Retreat.

The Just Brass Band, a seven-member ensemble made up mostly of students from Carroll Senior High School, raised $1,295 from donations during November and December playing concerts at Southlake Town Center, according to a Texas Health Resources news release.

Sophomore and tuba player Ethan Jezek formed the group three years ago, and the band has raised funds for charitable causes since 2014.

This year, they turned their focus to breast cancer after band member David Coughlin's mother, Kelly, was diagnosed with the disease.

"Ms. Coughlin was diagnosed with breast cancer last January, and so this year, we decided to raise money for breast cancer to honor her," Jezek explained. "With her help, we decided that the Bluebonnet Retreat was the best place for our donation."

Kelly Coughlin, a teacher at Carroll Senior High School, attended Texas Health HEB's Bluebonnet Retreat last year as a camper and describes the experience as life changing.

"I was terrified when they told me I had cancer. What I remember most about the retreat is the strength and kindness—I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't gone," said Kelly Coughlin. "As a camper, it meant the world to me, so now I need to come back and help."

Bluebonnet Retreat is a weekend camp for adults who have been diagnosed with cancer, and it's the only program of its kind in the DFW area.

Every April and October, 24 campers are matched with 24 counselors to gather for fun and fellowship at a ranch in Kaufman.

The camp, which has been in operation for more than 20 years, is free and anyone 18 and older who has received a cancer diagnosis in the past five years can apply to the program. The retreat is made possible with an endowment funded from Texas Health employee and community donor support.

"The fact that this group of eighth and tenth grade students would take the time to sit out in the cold and play for us—it's just the best," said Traci Burnett, director of the Bluebonnet Retreat. "Obviously we know that one of them was touched by the retreat and that's because his mom was a past camper. She came home and shared with the family what it meant to her, and we are grateful for that. These donations mean the world to us."

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