Rob Thomas Performing at Benefit in New Jersey This Weekend
When we spoke with Rob Thomas and Paul Doucette of Matchbox Twenty back in the summer of 2023, we discussed Sidewalk Angels Foundation, a charity established by Rob and his wife, Marisol Maldonado.
Singer/songwriter Rob Thomas and wife Marisol Maldonado attend the “Lone Survivor” New York premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on December 3, 2013 in New York City.
Show This Weekend
Fast forward to this Saturday, January 13th. Rob Thomas takes the stage for the 11th Annual Martin Luther King Weekend Benefit Show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Proceeds benefit Sidewalk Angels Foundation and the show will be streamed live by Veeps.
Benefiting a Wonderful Cause
Sidewalk Angels Foundation is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing critically needed funds and support to no-kill animal shelters and rescues that help fight for the rights of those with no voice. Donations to Sidewalk Angels will be accepted throughout the show.
How We Got Here
If Rob Thomas hadn’t achieved the success he has, the charity may have never begun. During our conversation, I asked him to think back to when they first started as a band, “Did you ever think ‘I don’t know if we’re going to be able to do this for a long time.’” His immediate response was, “More than you know.” He continued, “Our first single came out and it did nothing. We thought that was it, our first record sold six hundred copies. We thought we were done.”
The Power of Radio
Thankfully, a radio programmer in Birmingham, Alabama liked their song “Push,” and started playing it. It became the number one song in Birmingham and the rest, as they say, is history.
Helping Animals in So Many Ways
This was a fortunate break for Rob and Matchbox Twenty. However, it was equally fortunate for all of the animals that have benefited from the Sidewalk Angels Foundation. More than twenty no-kill animal shelters and animal rescues across the country have benefited from their foundation.
These are organizations that provide animal rescues, adoptions, shelter facilities, proper medical care, and low-cost spay and neuter programs. They also teach children kindness and compassion through animals. They provide advocacy programs such as fighting against cruelty and working to fight against breed discrimination. The foundation also works with homeless shelters to meet the physical needs of people and their pets in crisis. This helps prevent families in need from having to give up their pets.
Sidewalk Angels are committed to helping organizations dedicated to increasing public awareness through educational programs. These programs focus on the frequency of violent crimes against animals, and the correlation between animal abuse and violent behavior towards people.
The hope is for Sidewalk Angels to continue to grow so it will be able to help twice as many animal organizations.
Karma Cat 12.30.23
