I’ve met lots of people but few have been more memorable than Mark “Mr. B” Braun, founder and president of Mr. B’s Joybox Express.
He has enormous talent that is seemingly dwarfed by his oversized heart.
This guy’s a giver.
Once recognized as the youngest living member of the National Boogie Woogie Piano Hall of Fame, Mr. B has the capacity to mesmerize crowds with his music.
That he did when he performed at the Flint & Genesee Chamber’s recent Homecoming event, which brought together 150 business and community leaders – including 60 expatriates – to reconnect, rediscover and invest in the future of their hometown.
Yes, he gave a show-stopping performance, but he also struck a chord deep in the hearts of those in attendance, including myself.
His message was simple. Give of yourself with glorious abandon.
He played out this theme on the seat of his 385-pound,pedal-powered piano, which he announced he would take on “an incredible musical triathlon” of sorts to Mackinac Island this Labor Day weekend.
Why?
He wants to raise awareness and funds for Flint’s YouthQuest program, an after school and summer program that serves 2,000 students in Flint and Genesee County annually.
He’s doing it his way.
This most unusual musical gig, coined the “Sprint 4 Flint: Ride, Swim, Play, Give,” took off from Flint and arrived in Mackinac city today.
Mr. B. and a team of 50 cyclists, who each raised $500 dollars to participate in the effort, took turns powering the rear bikes, switching in new riders every 10 miles.
After completing the 240-mile ride, they hoisted the piano-bike aboard a 52’ dive boat in St. Ignace, led by long-distance record holder Jim “The Shark: Dreyer, Braun and seven other swimmers donned in harnesses strapped to the bow of Blue Water to tow the boat to British Landing on Mackinac Island.
While the team rests, Braun – an internationally renowned blues and jazz pianist – will perform Sept. 2 during the Grand Hotel Labor Day Jazz Weekend.
Although the journey is over, donations are still being accepted.
The Sprint4Flint bike ride and swim are just one part of a year-long fundraising campaign Joybox Express has led in support of YouthQuest. The nonprofit has also hosted galas and worked with Ann Arbor area schools on various fundraisers. An online art auction supporting the cause ends Sept. 5 and is available here.
“This is an ambitious journey that required creativity, commitment and passion,” saysRhetta Hunyady, vice president of education and training at the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, which oversees YouthQuest.
That’s a labor of love, we can all get behind.
For more information about or to donate to Sprint4Flint, visit www.joyboxexpress.com/donate
To learn more about YouthQuest, made possible through the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, visit www.yquest.org.
About Mr. B
Mark Braun, who graduated from Southwestern Classical Academy in 1975, has appeared on numerous National Public Radio broadcasts (i.e., All Things Considered, Mountain Stage, etc.) and won several awards through the Detroit Metro Times and the City of Ann Arbor. Additionally, for some time, he was the youngest living member of the National Boogie Woogie Piano Hall of Fame.
Piano man takes to the streets and straits of Mackinac added by Jackie Berg on
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