Print Article 11/16/2014
WJAC featured Patched Together: A Day of Music to Benefit the Healing Patch in a Nov. 16th news story.
Concert held to benefit the Healing Patch
Updated: Sunday, November 16 2014, 07:16 PM EST
By: Lauren Hensley
ALTOONA, Pa.-- Thirteen bands, and eight rocking hours all supporting one mission: the Patched Together benefit concert is drumming up cash for a good cause.
“We raise money for a group called the Healing Patch,” said Kent Tonkin, with the Patched Together committee.
The Healing Patch is a Home Nursing Agency's program. It is offers peer support designed specifically for children and their families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. For Tonkin and his brother it's personal. They lost both their mom and dad by the time they turned 15.
“When we were kids back in the 1980s and into the 1990s, these services were not available. When I heard about the Healing Patch I got involved as a volunteer and experienced a lot of personal healing myself,” Tonkin said.
Services are free, and there are offices in Cambria and Blair counties. Tonkin says the Healing Patch serves hundreds of families a year, including the Yahner-Golby family. Mother Deb Yahner-Golby lost her oldest daughter in 2010 but she wasn’t the only one left to grieve.
“My girls were so afraid of making me feel bad so they just didn't talk about it because they were afraid of upsetting me, but now they have friends they can talk to,” said Yahner-Golby.
If you would like to learn more about the Healing Patch click here.
Click here to see the story and broadcast on WJAC's website.
