Music students at Steveston-London secondary are putting on a free public concert to raise awareness for Crohn's Disease next week.
The Richmond school's choir, Grade 8, senior and jazz bands will be performing at Lansdowne Centre's food court atrium from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 24.
Crohn's Disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract and is also known as inflammatory bowel disease.
Michael Mikulin, music teacher at Steveston-London, said he was made aware of the invisible disease for a while now and wants people to understand more about it.
"It is kind of an underrepresented disease that doesn't get a lot of attention nor a lot of funding," said Mikulin.
He told the Richmond News that his students were on board with the idea of performing a community concert while having an information booth set up for the public.
"I think it's a different kind of performance experience for the students when they play for the general public than for their parents or fellow peers," he said, adding they are taking the opportunity to share information about Crohn's disease with those who may be unaware of what it is.
There will also be a sign-up sheet for people who would like to support the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's annual "Gutsy Walk" in support of those who are battling Crohn's disease.
Richmond resident Tim Reitsma who has lived with Crohn's disease for about 25 years, said it was "phenomenal" to hear students willing to use their skills to bring awareness to the invisible medical condition.
"Honestly, it's humbling to have somebody reach out and say 'hey, I know what you're going through and we'd like to raise awareness for this cause,'" said Reitsma.
"I just hope people listening to the concert get curious about Crohn's and want to learn more about it and share the information with other people."
