Jonas Magram is not only a talented musician and songwriter, he’s also a great example of someone who believes in helping others and giving back to his community. His annual Children’s Holiday Benefit Concert—now in its 30th year—will be held on Saturday, December 6, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Golden Magnolia Sanctuary, 200 S. Main Street, in Fairfield. Admission is $15 at the door. The evening includes a wide range of music performed by host Jonas Magram, Steve and Michaela McLain, Michael Dugan, LeAnne Edgeton, John Huff, Phil Marks, and special guest vocalist Ming Vierra, organist Werner Elmker, and guitarist John Lake.
This seasonal event has generated many loyal supporters over the decades. “None of the good we’ve achieved over the last 30 years would have been possible without the great compassion and generosity of our donors,” Jonas says. “They, along with the dozens of musicians and volunteers who’ve donated their time and talents, deserve all the credit for the success of these events.”
Jonas credits his father, Harold, for his love of performing music as well as the inspiration to combine that love with charity. “My dad played saxophone with big bands in Detroit up until World War II,” he says. “Even after marrying my mom and becoming a furniture retailer, he continued playing an occasional casual gig.
“Some of my earliest memories are of the jazz he’d play on our phonograph—everyone from Miles Davis to Ella Fitzgerald to Louis Armstrong to many other famous and obscure artists.
“And though I’d come back to jazz many years later, I did spend my high school and early college years playing the guitar, singing, and dreaming of becoming a rock star.”
One year, when Jonas was home from college for the holidays, his father asked him to perform at the holiday party his retail merchants association produced each year for people with intellectual disabilities. “That experience planted the seed that, some 25 years later, would lead me to create the annual Children’s Holiday Benefit. Somehow, this benefit took on a life of its own. Now, 30 years and dozens of giving musicians later, it is still an ongoing event.”
Jonas has set an ambitious target of $45,000 for this year’s fundraiser, which he believes is achievable with the support of new as well as existing donors. Proceeds from the event go to the Golden Magnolia Sanctuary Community Kitchen, SIEDA Community Action, the Ottumwa Crisis Center & Women’s Shelter, and Save the Children.
For information on making a tax-deductible gift, please email Jonas at ChildrensHolidayBenefit@gmail.com.