Simcha Kackley, founder of
Rock ‘n Aspire, will host her fifth-annual
event November 15 to generate funds for the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Since the first Rock ‘n Aspire concert in 2010, the grassroots effort has raised more than $20,000, but perhaps even more important for Kackley is that she has now created connections among families affected by MS.
“I had no idea of them before,” Kackley says. “Now we can go to each other and just know we understand each other.”
In February 2008, just one month before Kackley’s wedding, her husband Matt, who serves as a police officer in Hamilton County, woke up with numbness on the right side of his body.
He was later diagnosed with MS, though thankfully, Kackley says her husband’s case is a mild one, as Matt experiences one episode annually.
“It put everything back into perspective,” Kackley says. “We know we're very lucky because others have more challenges, and so we're thankful; but we have empathy with those who have it harder, because we remember bad episodes.”
To share that empathy and to bring people together for an evening of music is a goal of Rock ‘n Aspire, though the ultimate aim is to raise money to find a cure for MS.
“I know what it's like to not know what's going to happen—to be experiencing bad episodes and not know when or if they'll end,” Kackley says. “We've been lucky, but others aren't. And I'm just trying to bring people together who can relate, to use sound and the power of music to fill our fight against MS.”
Do Good:
•
Purchase a ticket to attend Rock 'n Aspire.
• Learn about ways you can
support the National MS Society through Rock 'n Aspire.
•
Volunteer with Rock 'n Aspire.
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