Yesterday marked the first edition of SPOTLIGHT, presented by Birkenstock and Defender, an event benefitting the evenko foundation, which celebrated our 10th anniversary.

The event raised over $70,000, which will go directly toward supporting the Foundation’s mission and will help provide new musical instruments to students at two schools in Quebec.

A special thank you to our presenters: Birkenstock & Defender

And to our partners: Proximo Spirits, Solotech, TD, Molson, National Bank and Corby

“In ten years, the evenko foundation has enabled thousands of young people to access music, sometimes for the very first time. It’s a mission that brings the entire industry together, and last night’s event was a wonderful demonstration of that.”

– Roman Oryschuk, Chairman of the Board of the evenko foundation

“The power of music can change a life path. Seeing the spark in a young person’s eyes when they receive an instrument or experience their first concert is exactly why the foundation exists.”

– Anne-Marie Withenshaw, spokesperson for the evenko foundation

The MTELUS stage then transformed into a musical playground: artists and guests took part in a karaoke session accompanied by a live band before continuing the evening to the beats of DJ Tallandskiinny.

The evenko foundation warmly thanks the evenko team, who put in considerable effort to make the event a success, as well as its generous partners: co-presenters Birkenstock and Defender, along with Dobel Tequila, Solotech, TD, Molson and National Bank.

About the evenko foundation

Launched in May 2015, the evenko foundation’s mission is to enable all young people in Quebec to thrive through music. The foundation believes that music education is essential to the social, psychological, emotional, and academic development of young people.

Montreal, March 12 — The music industry gathered yesterday at MTELUS for the Spotlight Evening in support of the evenko foundation, presented by Birkenstock and Defender. More than 600 guests answered the call to celebrate the foundation’s 10th anniversary and a decade of commitment to access to music for young people in Quebec.

In ten years, $3.7 million has been donated to the community, enabling dozens of schools and organizations to provide young people with tangible access to music.

At the heart of this mission: the donation of new musical instruments to schools. 53 schools and organizations across Quebec have already benefited from this program. Over the years, more than 50 local artists have joined the foundation to present these instruments directly to young people and share their passion for music with them.

Since its inception, the foundation has also offered concert tickets to organizations supporting young people facing more difficult situations, allowing them to experience the unique energy of live performances.

The evening was also an opportunity to highlight the remarkable contribution of SiriusXM, which has donated more than $1.2 million to the foundation since its creation.

Two committed figures were also honoured. Actor Marc-André Grondin for his involvement with the foundation’s mission, and Anne-Marie Withenshaw, a member of the board of directors since its creation and the foundation’s spokesperson since its early days.