Pierrefonds man continues fundraising efforts

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca

It has been only about one month since Pierrefonds resident Michael Dogniaux reached the summit of Morocco’s 4,167-metre Jebel Toubkal – North Africa’s highest peak – and the 56-year-old musician is already getting set for another fundraiser.

The climb up the Jebel Toubkal was in support of a Marie Curie Cancer Centre hospice in Birmingham, England. Before leaving, Dogniaux organized a benefit concert at Clydes in the Pointe Claire Village to raise money for the cause. Now, he hopes to apply the fundraising skills he learned from the Morocco challenge to fundraising initiatives for local organizations.

“If you want to be successful at it, you have to put people in the mood to give,” Dogniaux said, adding he wants to continue benefit concerts under his BeneRock banner www.benerock.com). “Morocco was great; very satisfying. I learned so much about fundraising.”

The next event will be a concert featuring Second Wind and Dogniaux’s band, Boys Night Out, at Clydes on Nov. 10. benefiting Enfant Rétour Québec.

“It’s great, because it gives local musicians and bands visibility too,” Dogniaux said, adding he hopes to hold BeneRock events at least two times a year for different local organizations.

The Nov. 10 benefit concert will get underway at 8 p.m. at Clydes, 286 Lakeshore Rd. in Pointe Claire. There is a $5 minimum donation at the door.