Singer/actor Tom Jackson is taking to the road again to help in the fight against hunger.
The Huron Carole – presented on Dec. 5 at the Memorial Centre – returns with a national tour to help raise funds and awareness for Canada’s hungry. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
With 18 stops throughout the country and an assortment of high quality musical talent including George Canyon, One More Girl, Beverley Mahood and Shannon Gaye, founder Tom Jackson’s call to end hunger is ready to be heard once again in communities large and small, near and far.
Since 1987, the Canadian actor and musician has been working hard to bring the message to end hunger by cultivating a network of like-minded artists from around the country brought together with the common interest of helping Canada’s needy.
While under the name of The Huron Carole and Singing for Supper, the concert series has helped spread awareness of the nation’s hunger problems and raise funds to help food bank workers and volunteers accomplish their mission of ending hunger.
The Huron Carole is a project of the Christmas & Winter Relief Association whose mandate is to support organizations doing hands-on work with the homeless and hungry in Canada.
It was back in the late 1980s, Jackson came up with the idea of bringing together some musician friends in an effort to support food banks – especially around the Christmas season.
The concept of raising funds via music was born, and he new he could count on fellow musicians to get behind the idea.
The concert was named after Canada’s first Christmas carol, composed in 1641 by Father Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit Priest known for his missionary work with the people of Huronia. Through ‘The Huron Carol’ song, Father de Brebeuf interpreted the story of Christmas in the Huron language. The carol was kept alive in the Huron language for more than 100 years before being translated to French and English.
After many successful years of raising funds through The Huron Carole, Jackson opted to rebrand the project for a time as ‘Singing for Supper’, which focused on smaller communities in more intimate settings. But as a result of the heavy demands on food banks across the country, Jackson wanted to restart The Huron Carole and again engage larger markets as well.
The goal is also to inspire that sense of goodwill and sharing “Between New Year and Christmas, not just between Christmas and New Years,” he said.
For a younger generation of TV viewers, Jackson is recognizable from his portrayal of Billy Twofeathers in Shining Time Station and his guest role in Star Trek The Next Generation. Yet it’s his six years of playing Chief Peter Kenidi in CBC’s North of 60 that still draws comments, letters, emails and hugs from fans.
For tickets, call the Black Knight Inn Ticket Centre at 403-755-6626 or visit www.blackknightinn.ca.
-Weber
