Dear Friends:

Last year NEOMHA produced Carry On, a YouTube series designed to introduce young people to traditional music. The series was warmly hosted by Hal Walker from his home studio in Kent, Ohio.

We are reaching out to let you know that Hal is experiencing devastating effects from an illness called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. For months Hal has been mostly bedridden and reliant on others for care. To calm his nervous system, he spends a lot of time in the dark and in silence — truly a tragedy for someone who loves to explore, make and share music.

Hal’s community of friends, family and fans are rallying to offer their help and support. If you are inspired to do so, you can help by doing any of the following:

–       Make a donation to Hal’s GoFundMe campaign at Hal Walker Needs Our Help.

–       Attend and encourage others to attend a free livestream benefit concert on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022 at 7pm Eastern Time US. Twenty-five amazing musicians will be singing for Hal to raise money to support him and to raise awareness for ME/CFS, which affects millions of people worldwide. You can register at ALoveSongForHal.com.

We hope you’ll tune in on January 7! If you’d like to know more about Hal and his journey with ME/CFS, you can follow him on social media.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/halwalkermusic

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@banakula

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/halwalkermusic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/banakula

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6GD3EDNcRB99xxR6g7Fnrw

And here is a great Cleveland Scene magazine about the event, which includes the list of contributing artists: Coldplay’s Chris Martin Among the Musicians Participating in Virtual Benefit Concert for Local Singer-Songwriter Hal Walker | Scene and Heard: Scene’s News Blog (clevescene.com)

Please keep Hal in your thoughts and prayers.

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