ABOUT US
Lyrics for Life is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to make a difference in the fight against pediatric cancer. Sister Hazel frontman, Ken Block, and his band mates founded Lyrics For Life in memory of Ken’s younger brother, Jeffrey, who ultimately lost his four-year battle with cancer that started at age 14.
The charity unites musicians and celebrities for concert events, auctions, and other fundraising efforts. The monies raised are donated to groups that are working to find a cure, as well as those aiming to enrich the lives of patients and their families. From research to summer camps and family support groups, we are surrounding this disease and conquering it from every angle.
Artists participate in many ways, often by donating handwritten lyrics to one of their songs on anything from a simple sheet of paper to a surfboard to some other unique item, which we offer for auction at one of our Lyrics For Life events.
Our team of musicians, volunteers, sponsors, and supporters set high goals for the future. We accept the challenge to find new ways of raising money and awareness … and to help make each day a little brighter until there is a cure.
Most of us have been touched by it ... a loved one, a friend, a co-worker dealing with this disease. Our desire to help comes from a real place, from real loss. It gives us the energy and ambition to fight back. We ARE fighting back! It's a personal mission of ours to foster and create events that are fun, cool, exciting, and, ultimately, meaningful to this vital cause.
Together we can make a real difference.
My brother, Jeffrey, was a compassionate, thoughtful, kind, gentle, charming, warm, wise, athletic, funny and otherwise normal 14-year-old when he was first diagnosed. His days were filled with surfing, skiing, football, girls, telephone calls, laughter and music. Things were as they should be.
Then the T-Cell lymphoma, that seemed to come from nowhere in a few short days, nearly choked him to death. The grapefruit-sized tumor quickly grew under his breastbone, leaving little room for his heart to beat. The doctors gave him days to live - Jeffrey proved them wrong right off the bat. He won that first battle like a champion and went into remission. Then three more battles and three more remissions, never losing heart.
I was in the room the day the doctor told my brave, battered brother, "There's nothing else we can do." Jeffrey looked up, tears slowly welling up in his eyes and said, "Well, thank you for giving me four years I never would have had without you." He's still my hero.
I miss him today and every day.
Ken Block
Paul McCartney
Elton John
Eagles
John Mayer
Indigo Girls
Tonic
Seven Mary Three
Hootie & the Blowfish
Edwin McCain
Kid Rock
Kiss
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Better Than Ezra
Vertical Horizon
REO Speedwago
Pat McGee Band
Big & Rich
Shawn Mullins
Gavin DeGraw
The Alternate Routes
Zac Brown Band
Train
Lady Antebellum
Plain White T's
Sister Hazel
Tom Petty
Don Felder
James Taylor
Larry Gatlin
The B-52's
Toby Keith
Tony Bennett
Charlie Daniels
3 Doors Down
Shinedown
Hinder
Sugar Ray
Twisted Sister
Luke Combs
Fall Out Boy
Carly Simon
Don McLean
Cyndi Lauper
Michael Bublé
Javier Colon