close
close

tub-blois

Breaking: Beyond Headlines!

Phish Raises Millions for Vermont-Based Drug Rehab Organization
aecifo

Phish Raises Millions for Vermont-Based Drug Rehab Organization

The Burlington-born jam-rock band Phishing raised more than $4 million last weekend during a trio of concerts to benefit the Vermont-based drug treatment organization founded by the band’s guitarist Trey Anastasio.

THE Concerts from October 25 to 27 at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York, raised money to launch a $10 million fundraising campaign for the Divided Sky Home Recovery Program in Ludlow. The money will be used to fund capital improvements, property acquisitions, staff increases and a scholarship fund. Anastasio, who was frank about his own experience of addiction, opened Divided Sky last year with co-founder Melanie Gulde.

“It’s difficult to express in words how grateful we are to Phish and its fans for this generosity,” Gulde, Divided Sky program director, said in a press release announcing the fundraising outcome. “But it’s not about words, it’s about action. And through these concerts, we will be able to help many more people take charge of their lives and recover from their addictions.

The Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program in LudlowThe Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program in Ludlow

The Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program in Ludlow

Money was raised at the concerts through ticket and merchandise sales and a live pay-per-view broadcast. According to the press release, 100% of net profits will be donated to the Divided Sky Foundation.

The Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program aims to help people build life tools to maintain sobriety while remaining active and involved in the outdoors and pursuing their personal passions, according to the press release. Nearly a dozen alumni who completed the 30-day program were in attendance at the Albany concerts. More than 300 tickets were given to people working in recovery or a mental health-related field.

This is the second year in a row that the group that started at the University of Vermont in 1983 has raised money to benefit the state where Phish got its start. Last year, Phish performed two benefit concerts at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York, which raised more than $3.5 million for flood relief efforts in Vermont and Northern California. New York State, according to the press release.

Trey Anastasio of Phish stands with Melanie Gulde, director of the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program, outside the Ludlow facility.Trey Anastasio of Phish stands with Melanie Gulde, director of the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program, outside the Ludlow facility.

Trey Anastasio of Phish stands with Melanie Gulde, director of the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program, outside the Ludlow facility.

CContact Brent Hallenbeck at [email protected].

This article was originally published on Burlington Free Press: Phish raises millions to fund Vermont-based drug rehab program