FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Fort Myers non-profit wants to bring the community back together after Hurricane Ian for a charity concert. 

“Southwest Florida strong, that’s what it’s all about,” said Brad Maloney, Vice President of Operations for The Charity Pros.

His daughter, Megan Maloney, originally founded The Charity Pros to advocate for children’s social causes and help kids in Southwest Florida have a better life. Their abilities were needed for a COVID-19 relief concert during the pandemic, pivoting and focusing their mission on local first responders assisting during the pandemic. 

“After that, then the hurricane came after and we immediately jumped in and started doing relief efforts, we were flying up to the panhandle, renting 27-foot trucks and hauling hurricane supplies,” Brad said.

But the need to support our community since Ian remains, especially for local musicians.

“All the bars and restaurants whipped out on Fort Myers Beach provided 3-4 gigs a day for our local musicians — so not only did some lose their house, car, gear, but some lost their job too,” said Brad.

The pros are able to pivot each time a need pops up in our community and now they’re working on another charity concert, this time it’s not about hurricane relief — it’s about our hurricane heroes.

“We learned there’s so many heroes of the hurricane and not just guys in uniform, but unsung heroes behind the scenes,” said Brad.

The concert will happen at Hammond Stadium on October 7. It will be the first one happening there in more than a decade, the largest event in Southwest Florida this year, bringing our community back together after Hurricane Ian.

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“We’re bringing headliner Matchbox Twenty in which is huge, then we brought in the great Don Felder who was with the Eagles for 27 years and then we just added Mac McAnally, Jimmy Buffett’s right-hand man from the Coral Reefer Band and he’ll have Eric Darken percussionist with the Coral Reefers with him,” Brad said.

Rob Thomas from Matchbox Twenty told ABC7 in an interview, “It was a no-brainer, we were asked and like I said, it’s a very small thing to be able to do… we get to come to a place that’s beautiful, do something that we love — you know, for somebody, and then people are thanking us to do it and we’re like I don’t think you understand this is just as much for us as for anyone else.”

Even local artists who will take the stage as well like Red Hannah, Maddy Jolly, Sheena Brooks and Casey Bishop are going to make an appearance.

“We don’t have other tools in our toolbox. I don’t know how to fix electricity, pave roads or build bridges, but being able to go there and be a part of this unity and rebuilding spirit which is also just as important as other infrastructure that’s there, it’s a gift to be a part of that,” said Thomas. “It’s kind of hard to imagine that something like a concert is important but it’s not really about us or the concert or the music, it’s about the togetherness and the community.”

For more information and tickets, click here.