An Owensboro, Ky., nonprofit that works to spread awareness about eating disorders is hosting a bluegrass-themed fundraiser at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Museum this month.
The Aubrey’s Song Foundation will host "Pickin’ for a Cause: Keeping Aubrey’s Song Alive" on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023.
The fundraiser will feature music from several bluegrass groups and will include food and other entertainment.
Carolyn Ferber, Executive Director of the Aubrey’s Song Foundation, told WKU Public Radio the organization was launched in 2005 in memory of an Owensboro resident.
"Our organization really began at a grassroots level when a young woman named Aubrey Michelle Clark, who was a young woman living in Owensboro, passed away due to complications from an eating disorder."
Clark was just 22 years old when she died after spending several years in and out of treatment. Ferber added that there were few resources available locally at that time, which meant Clark had to go out of state to be treated.
"It went undetected from the time she was in middle school until she was at the beginning of her senior year in school," she said. "There were no resources in Owensboro, much less in the state of Kentucky, and after her passing, friends and family just felt helpless and felt they needed to do something to keep her memory alive."
The organization not only works to keep Clark’s memory alive but also seeks to ensure others don’t succumb to the same fate.
"We’re here promoting prevention, promoting positive body image, providing community and professional education, and guiding supporting families and patients who are in need of referrals or resources," Ferber said, adding the organization also works to establish more local resources.
Pickin’ for a Cause: Keeping Aubrey’s Song Alive" will help support their mission. The event even gets its name from a song written in honor of Clark’s life and love of music.
"There is actually a song called ‘Aubry’s Song’ that was written by a very close friend of Aubry’s for her funeral," Ferber noted. "We just sort of tied the Aubry's Song and the music piece together."
This will be the second year for the event, which will include live music performances featuring Lucy & Emmie, Toy Heart, and Kentucky Shine.
"We have a great group called ‘Kentucky Shine, who is an up-and-coming and already nationally recognized group playing for us. They are kind of our headliner," Ferber said. "We’ll have some great food catered by Moonlite Bar-B-Q, and we’ll have a great view out the window of the Bluegrass Museum."
All proceeds generated from the event will support the Aubrey's Song educational program as well as the organization’s advocacy program, which guides patients and their families to needed resources.
Doors open at 5 p.m. and close at 8:30 p.m. Tickets will not be sold at the door but can be purchased in advance either online or by calling (270) 852-6514.
More information about the event and the Aubrey’s Song Foundation can be found at the foundation’s website or Facebook page.