Summary: Before a crowd of over 800, musician John Schmid paid a musical tribute to his late mother and long time Wooster Community Hospital Auxiliary volunteer Lorain Schmid, during a concert at the John Streeter Garden Amphitheater at Secrest Arboretum on August 21.
For a musician there is no better way to pay tribute to a loved one than in song.
Before a crowd of well over 800 John Schmid did just that when he presented a concert in honor of his late mother – Loraine Schmid – at the John Streeter Garden Amphitheater at Secrest Arboretum on August 21.
During the over 90 minute concert sponsored by the Wooster Community Hospital Auxiliary, Schmid interspersed memories of his mother with musical performances ranging from country and gospel music to folk songs of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Despite the steady rain that soaked the concert goers during the first half of the concert, no one in the crowd made a move as Schmid and his talented band also presented an hour long tribute to the country music legend that significantly influenced both his music and his life – Johnny Cash.
Schmid, a former country singer who traded his dreams of stardom in Nashville for the ministry, is the founder and director of Common Ground Ministries, a unique singing ministry based out of Berlin, Ohio that focuses on prisons in the Ohio Corrections System.
According to Schmid during an average year, this ministry goes into more than 50 prisons and 30 churches and performs at numerous concerts, seminars, camps, crusades and street fairs. The group also provides Bibles and Bible correspondence courses to prisoners in the Ohio system at no cost.
Schmid himself has recorded over a dozen country, gospel, blue grass and folk albums including tribute albums to Johnny Cash and the family of June Carter Cash both of which were recorded in Cashs own private studio - The Cash Cabin Studio - just outside Nashville, Tennessee.
Schmid performed the music he loved as a tribute to his mother, Loraine Schmid, who passed away this past April.
Throughout the concert John Schmid delighted the crowd with family stories and his remembrances of his mothers incredible 39 year tenure as a volunteer with the Wooster Community Hospital Auxiliary.
John Schmids appearance in Wooster was sponsored by the Wooster Community Hospital Auxiliary.
According to Wooster Community Hospital Volunteer Services Coordinator Carla Redick, the Auxiliary, whose mission is to help, comfort and promote the well-being of Wooster Community Hospital patients and their families, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
Since its founding in 1951 the members of the Auxiliary have given countless hours of service to the hospital.
According to Redick last year alone Auxiliary members provided 32,000 of volunteer time to Wooster Community Hospital.
In addition to volunteering their time assisting the hospital staff the Auxiliary also provides complimentary valet parking at the hospital and has donated transportation vans and furnishings for lobbies and family care rooms. The group has also provided over 250 free mammograms to qualifying patients.
Redick noted that Schmid will reprise his performance on December 16 in Bruch Hall at the First Presbyterian Church in Wooster when he presents a very special selection of Holiday music during a benefit concert to support the organization that was so dear to his mothers heart.
According to Redick the final details on Schmids concert to benefit the Wooster Community Hospital Auxiliary, including information on how to purchase the limited number of tickets that will be available for the concert, can be obtained in November by calling 330-263-8299.
For more information on the Wooster Community Hospital Auxiliary call Volunteer Services Coordinator Carla Redick at 330-263-8299 or log on to Wooster Community Hospitals web site at www.woosterhospital.org.
Information on John Schmids music and ministry can be found at www.JohnSchmid.com.
