Warner Music Nashville recording artist Michael Ray joins in the celebration
to launch programs that deliver the healing power of music
Musicians On Call, a nonprofit that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities, officially launched its latest weekly Bedside Performance Programs at Sunrise Health System hospitals today in Las Vegas. The programs are made possible through a $150,000 endowment from ACM Lifting Lives®, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music. The launch event, which took place at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, included a special performance by Warner Music Nashville recording artist Michael Ray for the hospital’s patients and caregivers.
With the launch of these programs, Musicians On Call will now bring Volunteer Musicians into Sunrise Hospital and Sunrise Children’s Hospital on an ongoing basis to go room to room and play for patients at their bedsides. The expansion of the Bedside Performance Programs into Las Vegas was inspired by Musicians On Call’s visit to the city last fall immediately following the Route 91 Harvest Festival. In response to the tragic events of the festival, Musicians On Call brought members of the country music community, Charles Esten, Michael Ray, The Railers, Brandon Ray and Filmore to visit hospitals, including Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, to bring joy through music in a time of need.
“It is our vision to give all patients, their family members and medical staff access to the healing power of music. Music has a profound effect on people, and in a setting like a hospital it can restore a sense of normalcy, bring joy and complement the healing process. We witnessed this remarkable power firsthand when we visited last fall following Route 91,” said Musicians On Call President Pete Griffin, “The positive energy the artists brought to everyone still recovering physically, mentally and emotionally from an unimaginable experience was felt for months following that visit. We knew we had to come back and continue to bring that healing to this strong community. We are thrilled to return, this time on a weekly basis, thanks to the generous support of our friends at ACM Lifting Lives. We look forward to welcoming a new group of volunteers to the Musicians On Call family and sharing the joy of live music with many more patients and caregivers at Sunrise Hospitals.”
“It was not just music, it was healing for the entire community,” said Todd P. Sklamberg, CEO of Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. “Musicians on Call helped make it possible to put the pain behind us and forge ahead as a Care Team.”
One of the artists to join Musicians On Call during their first visit to Sunrise was Warner Music Nashville’s Michael Ray. Ray joined the other artists for a “Concert for Healing” at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center and was one of the first performers from the festival to return to Vegas to perform for survivors. At today’s launch celebration he sang his hits “Think A Little Less” and “Kiss You In The Morning” for the patients and staff in attendance.
“We played Route 91 on the main stage that Friday night, and when the band and I learned what unfolded just two days later, so many faces popped into my mind. The fans, the festival volunteers, the families, and our fellow artists … all the fans I had just seen … folks I knew were there to come together, united because of their love for country music,” Ray shared before performing “Dancin’ Forever” a song he played for the first and last time in October when visiting survivors, first responders and families at Sunrise Hospital. “I am here today because I saw firsthand the healing power of music and continue to see it every night we’re on stage. ACM Lifting Lives supporting the Musicians on Call Las Vegas program is exactly why I always want to perform at Party for a Cause.”
Volunteer opportunities are available for Volunteer Musicians and non-musicians to serve as Volunteer Guides and escort the musicians room to room. Anyone interested in volunteering can apply at www.musiciansoncall.org/volunteer.