By Barry J. Gainor, MD

As physicians, our focus is dedication to serving our patients, but we all have gifts or talents that can be shared with our community. Doctors can mentor youngsters at risk, advocate for political or legislative change, staff a summer camp for special needs kids, participate in outreach clinics for the underserved, volunteer at Special Olympics, be active in a church group, or help coach a youth sports team. My father was a pediatrician, musician, and role model of charitable service to the needy, and so becoming a fundraiser for the local Children’s Hospital was a natural evolution for me. In 1983, I joined a folk music group, and we played for local art shows, church functions, university events, and foundations that supported medical research. In 1995, however, I recruited a Bluegrass music band to perform exclusively for the benefit of our local Children’s Hospital. We play regularly at street festivals, picnics, and gala dinners. On special calendar occasions, a trio of our vocalists sing at the bedsides of hospitalized kids to the mutual enjoyment of visiting parents and siblings, and the band provides a seasonal songfest on the psychiatric ward during the Holidays. For a decade, the “Gainor & Friends” band has been graciously based at a family-friendly brewpub where we entertain patrons every Sunday during brunch time. Over the years, all tips deposited in my banjo case by appreciative audiences have been donated to the Children’s Miracle Network, and these cumulative monies surpassed $25K last month. As with any charitable endeavor, you always receive more than you give. In the photo below, yours truly is kneeling in the foreground with a banjo on his knee surrounded by generous musicians who weekly donate their time and talent to child health care in Missouri.