RUSH Lead Guitarist and Rock & Roll Legend Alex Lifeson and Gibson Gives Donate Funds to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Room In The Inn

NASHVILLE, TN (August 19, 2022)  For 128 years, Gibson, the iconic American instrument brand has shaped sound across generations, genres, and genders, and has emerged the most relevant, played, and loved music brand around the world.

Earlier this week, Alex Lifeson, legendary guitarist for RUSH, the Gibson team, and representatives from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Room in The Inn, gathered for a special event at the Gibson Garage–the ultimate guitar experience and music destination in the heart of downtown Nashville, Music City USA. Alex Lifeson, and Gibson Gives–Gibson’s purpose-driven philanthropic arm—donated funds directly to two local organizations that offer vital resources to the people of Nashville:  Monroe Carell and Room In The Inn. In addition, Gibson has donated guitars and gear for music therapy programs at the hospital and Room In The Inn.

Alex Lifeson is donating both current and ongoing music royalties from the sales of his recent signature Epiphone Les Paul Axcess guitar, and Gibson Gives is donating funds directly to each charity. In addition, Gibson Gives has donated guitars and much needed music gear to the music therapy programs for the hospital and Room In The Inn which greatly enhance the lives of patients and residents.

The board-certified music therapists at Monroe Carell work with children and their families, using music in unique ways to help each child with chronic pain, physical rehabilitation, psychiatric symptoms, end of life, procedural support and coping with hospitalization, and disease. Music therapists work as part of the medical team to support the whole patient and design music therapies specially for each patient’s medical diagnoses, course of treatment and discharge timeline.

Through its comprehensive single site of services for individuals experiencing homelessness, Room In The Inn works closely with other service providers and community partners to meet the needs of Nashville’s most vulnerable neighbors. Room In The Inn offers meal programs both onsite and mobile, recovery services for those overcoming addiction and mental health issues, showers and personal care, telephone and computer access, secure storage, transportation to medical appointments, bus passes, and more, food stamp assistance, laundry, mail, legal clinic, haircuts, housing and utility deposit assistance, health, life and work skills teaching, and recreation. For more information, visit: https://www.roomintheinn.org/.

Gibson has a strong focus on giving back and supporting the global music community through its purpose-driven philanthropic arm, Gibson Gives. The mission of Gibson Gives is to create, develop and support non-profit organizations in their efforts to advance musicians, youth-focused education, music, and wellness initiatives. 100% of all donations to and from Gibson Gives–a 501(c)(3) organization–go towards giving the gift of music. In the last three years, Gibson Gives has raised over $3.5 million dollars worldwide for non-profits across the globe. For more information, visit: www.gibsongives.org.

“I feel very fortunate that I am able to partner with Gibson Gives to support the important and never-ending work that both the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital and Room In The Inn supply for the needs of those who are less fortunate” says Alex Lifeson. “It is heartbreaking to witness the struggles of a brave child battling an illness that shows no mercy or the destitute soul struggling with both homelessness and hopelessness. If we can lend a helping hand through our support to provide a reprieve for even a moment, then we have done our duty to the community. It is my intention to continue my support in the hope of creating a better world.”

“At Gibson we have always had strong connections with our amazing Artists . . . past, present, and future,” says James “JC” Curleigh, President and CEO of Gibson. “With the recent momentum on Gibson Gives, our Artists are truly stepping up to help make music matter even more to communities around the world. We are very proud that our legendary Artist, Alex Lifeson, is taking the lead with his generous actions.”

“We are grateful to Alex Lifeson and Gibson Gives for their generosity and support of our hospital and our Music Therapy Program,” says John Thomas, MD, FACS, FAAP, chief of staff for Monroe Carell, professor of Urologic Surgery. “Music has a tremendous impact on the healing process of our patients and can help children cope through their hospital journey. The continued support from our friends in the music and entertainment industries plays an important role in our care of children.”

“We are so thankful for the incredible generosity of Alex Lifeson and the entire Gibson team,” says Rachel Hester, Executive Director of Room In The Inn. “For over 35 years, Room In The Inn has worked to support Nashville’s most vulnerable neighbors who are experiencing homelessness. We could not do this important work without the gracious support of people like Alex and Gibson Gives. We are better together!”

Above (L-R): Dendy Jarrett (Executive Director, Gibson Gives), Dr. John Thomas (Chief of Staff at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt), Erica Krusen (Senior Director, Cultural Influence, Gibson Brands), James “JC” Curleigh (President and CEO, Gibson Brands), Alex Lifeson, Beth Heidt (VP of Cultural Influence-Global, Gibson Brands) and front row Rachel Hester (Executive Director, Room In The Inn) and Melanie Barnett (Community Director, Room In The Inn). Photo credit: Terry Wyatt, Getty Images.

Above (L-R): Alex Lifeson, Dr. John Thomas (Chief of Staff at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt), James “JC” Curleigh (President and CEO, Gibson Brands), Pete Rogers (Head Equipment Manager, Nashville Predators). Photo credit: Gibson.

Above (L-R): Alex Lifeson, Melanie Barnett (Community Director, Room In The Inn) Rachel Hester (Executive Director, Room In The Inn), James “JC” Curleigh (President and CEO, Gibson Brands), and Pete Rogers (Head Equipment Manager, Nashville Predators). Photo credit: Gibson.

Alex Lifeson:

ALEX LIFESON.COM

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt:

CHILDRENS HOSPITAL VANDERBILT.ORG

Room In The Inn:

ROOM IN THE INN.ORG

Gibson Gives:

GIBSON GIVES.ORG

Gibson:

GIBSON.COM | TW | IG | FB | GIBSON APP | GIBSON TV

About Alex Lifeson:

Lifeson made his mark on the music industry over 50 years ago, redefining the boundaries of progressive rock guitar. His signature riffing, copious use of effects processing and unorthodox chord structures befitted him the title by his RUSH bandmates as “The Musical Scientist.” While the bulk of Lifeson’s work in music has been with RUSH, he has contributed to a body of work outside of the band as a guitarist, producer and with the release of his 1996 solo album Victor, a solo artist. Lifeson ranks third overall in the Guitar World Readers poll of ‘100 Greatest Guitarists’ and is also included in Rolling Stone’s ‘100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.’

About Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt:

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals, treating and helping to prevent a full range of pediatric health issues from colds and broken bones to complex heart diseases and cancer. Achieving 10 out of 10 nationally ranked pediatric specialties in 2022, it was again named among the nation’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” for the 16^th consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report, earning the distinction as the No. 1 pediatric hospital in Tennessee and the Southeast. For more about Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, click here.

About Room in the Inn:

The mission of Room in the Inn is to provide programs that emphasize human development and recovery through education, self-help, and work, centered in community and long term support for those who call the streets of Nashville home. Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love, Room in the Inn provides hospitality with a respect that offers hope in a community of non-violence. Room In The Inn began in the winter of 1985, when our Founding Director, Father Charles Strobel, opened the doors of his parish to individuals seeking sanctuary in the church parking lot. This simple act of kindness marked the beginning of Room In The Inn. In December 1986, four congregations committed to sheltering people experiencing homeless through March 1987. By the end of that winter, 31 congregations had joined. Now, we have nearly 200 congregations from a wide variety of traditions and over 7,000 volunteers who shelter almost 1,500 men and women from November 1 through March 31 each season. In 1995, we opened our downtown Campus, which offers emergency services, transitional programs, and long-term solutions to help people rebuild their lives. The opening of a 45,000 square foot facility in 2010 greatly enhanced our ability to support people through programs that emphasize health, education, employment, and housing. We do this work through building one-on-one relationships and offering hospitality to all who call the streets of Nashville home. For more information about Room in the Inn, visit: https://www.roomintheinn.org/.

About Gibson and Gibson Gives:

Gibson, the iconic American instrument brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for 128 years. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Nashville, TN, Gibson Brands has a legacy of world-class craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships, and progressive product evolution that is unrivaled among musical instrument companies. The Gibson Brands portfolio includes Gibson, the leading guitar brand, as well as many of the most beloved and recognizable music brands, including Epiphone, which has been on every stage since 1873, Kramer, the original MADE TO ROCK HARD guitar brand, MESA/Boogie, the home of tone, KRK, behind great music for over 30 years, and Maestro, the founder of effect pedals. Gibson guitars and gear have been played on stage by countless musical icons in every genre of music, and Gibson Brands is dedicated to quality, innovation, and sound excellence so music lovers for generations to come will continue to experience music shaped by Gibson Brands. Gibson has a strong focus on supporting the global music community through the philanthropic arm of Gibson Gives. The mission of Gibson Gives is to create, develop and support non-profit organizations in their efforts to advance musicians, youth-focused education, music, and wellness initiatives. 100% of all donations to and from Gibson Gives–a 501(c)(3) organization–go towards giving the gift of music. In the last three years, Gibson Gives has raised over $3.5 million dollars worldwide through its mission. For a deeper look inside the history of Gibson, plan a trip to downtown Nashville, to visit the Gibson Garage. At the Gibson Garage—the all-new flagship store–music lovers can experience live performances, design a dream guitar, catch a taping of the award-winning Gibson TV series, and explore Gibson’s music history with captivating, interactive storytelling and memorabilia displays, inside the historic space. The Gibson Garage is the ultimate guitar experience and destination for music lovers in Nashville, and across the globe. Learn more at Gibson.com, follow us on Instagram Twitter, Facebook, Gibson TV, and download the Gibson App.