Former Canadian football player and philanthropist Pinball Clemons is once again organizing a star-studded live concert this holiday season in Toronto.
On Dec. 4, Clemons alongside his wife Diane Lee will host the annual Christmas with the Clemons holiday event in support of the Pinball Clemons Foundation which supports marginalized and racialized youth. This year, huge names in R&B will be taking the stage, including DVSN, Jully Black, and Deborah Cox.
“As a family, philanthropy, music, and the Christmas holidays have been three essential pillars in our home, so combining these elements only felt natural,” Clemons told Now Toronto. “We started Christmas with the Clemons as another way to give back during one of our favourite seasons.”
Hosted at Roy Thomson Hall, the event will feature several musical performances from Christmas carols to “soulful renditions of holiday classics,” and welcome other well-known names, including Toronto Raptors commentator Jack Armstrong, who is also a singer and songwriter.
For Clemons, the event is all about using music as a catalyst for community gathering.
“Christmas with the Clemons aims to bring people together in community in a way that only music can, while celebrating young people and helping provide them with the platform to transform their lives in a real and substantial way,” he said.
Proceeds from the event will go towards the Pinbull Clemons Foundation, a charitable organization founded by the former athlete, which helps marginalized and racialized youth by supporting their pursuit of education and future job opportunities.
“All of the proceeds will pour right back into the community, to our students,” Clemons said. “We have almost 100 youth on a waitlist to access our programs, and the only thing stopping us from growing is funding. There is never a shortage of youth that are in need, which means the job is never done.”
So far, the foundation has supported youth from across five provinces by providing scholarships and bursaries, as well as essential tools, including laptops, textbooks, and mentorship.
Event tickets are available online. For those who can’t attend, the Clemons are accepting donations which will go toward helping youth attend the live show for free.
