Saturday, May 31, 2025

The YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley, Oneida Health and The KEYS Program are partnering to celebrate Cancer Survivorship!

Through the StayStrong Survivorship Program held at the YMCA, cancer survivors are surrounded with physical, mental and spiritual support to help them stay strong during the process while they battle the disease.

This collaboration is working to expand these services to YOUTH survivors in our region and their families.

We are welcoming musical guests Doreen Ketchens, New Orleans artist. Doreen has been called Lady Louie, Miss Satchmo & The Female Louis Armstrong, to name a few. However, on May 26, 2022, Doreen, was honored with a Doctorate degree, in music from Five Towns College, in Long Island New York. Now she is Dr. Doreen J. Ketchens! Dr. Doreen has changed the way scholars view their clarinets. She has successfully created her own style that blends her classical training with the soul of jazz.

Her intense passion gets under your skin and brings you to a new place. Be it, Gospel, Blues, R&B, Classical or Jazz. Dr. Doreen Ketchens can rock her clarinet on many levels, then sing like a songbird on a sunny day. Dr. Doreen has been called many names because, she plays like Charlie “Bird” Parker, sings like Mahalia Jackson, and has the chops and personality of Louis Armstrong. Dr. Doreen Ketchens, can be found in numerous radio and television shows, including Treme, on HBO, Drunk History, music videos and movies, including Out of Blue, Come On, Come On, Tyler Perry’s Temptation, and recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live and CBS Sunday Morning.

We also welcome The Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band. The musicians in Rising Stars grew up together in the same small county in Mississippi called Tate County and bonded over their shared passions for sound, rhythm and beats. Each member brings a unique musical aesthetic to the band and over the years we’ve grown comfortable jumping genres and mashing up influences.

Starting out, the idea of living the road band life was the last thing on our minds. After we did all the local gigs, we realized the only way for us to evolve as a band was to hit the road. Over the next five years, we logged thousands of gigs — with the occasional festival appearance — in cities across the country.

Cancer is a life-changing disease for the entire family that takes a tremendous physical and emotional toll on those affected. Oneida Health Cancer Care, in partnership with the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley, has developed the StayStrong program to meet the unique needs of our cancer patients.

Through this benefit concert, it is our goal to expand our current service offerings to youth Survivors in our region to provide a comprehensive wellness plan for the entire family. By uniting together in positivity through the arts, we can make a difference for those affected by cancer in our community and surround families who need your support with services that will bring them hope, health and healing.