With Trey Anastasio due to celebrate his birthday on Monday, September 30th and Phish set to perform a special run of benefit shows for the Divided Sky Foundation next month in Albany, one enterprising fan has put together a fundraising campaign to celebrate the occasion, engage the Phish community, and channel fans’ enthusiasm toward a good cause.
Organized by Phish fan Natalie Schrier, who goes by @guyutegirl on Instagram, the campaign aims to raise at least $21,915 in donations toward The Divided Sky Foundation—a total selected to correspond with the number of days Anastasio will have been alive when he turns 60 (grind, grind, grind…). As of publication time, the fundraiser, launched on September 18th, is 84% of the way toward reaching its goal with $18,430.85 raised. Donations will be accepted until Thursday, October 3rd.
In order to incentivize donations, Schrier has partnered with other members of the extended Phish community—including Trey Anastasio Band bassist Dezron Douglas, bassist/bandleader Karina Rykman, impresario Peter Shapiro (Dayglo Presents, Brooklyn Bowl, Relix, The Capitol Theatre), renowned photographer Jay Blakesberg, streaming platform nugs.net, apparel company Section 119, and 60+ others—to offer donors the chance to win a variety of Phish- and music-related prizes, with new prizes still being added to the list daily. Fans who donate any amount will be entered to win a prize (minimum suggested donation $25). On Friday, October 4th, @guyutegirl will randomly pair winners with each prize during an Instagram Live session.
As Schrier noted, “This isn’t your typical fundraiser! When you donate money, you’re entered to win a prize! There is no auction, there is no raffle. You simply make a donation and you are entered to win any of the available prizes, regardless of the prize’s value. You could end up with a print from a professional photographer, a sticker pack, concert tickets, a t-shirt, something else, or nothing at all… it’ll be a fun surprise! I’m running it this way to make it more equitable.” The only exceptions to that format are a pair of custom guitar pedals built by Ohm Made Electronics specifically for the fundraiser. Fans who are interested in winning the pedals can send their donation receipt to happybirthdaytreyanastasio@gmail.com.
Available Trey Anastasio 60th birthday fundraiser prizes include:
- 4 tickets to any concert at any Brooklyn Bowl, from Pete Shapiro
- Signed guitar strap, from Dezron Douglas (retired after the TAB set at Sea.Hear.Now a week and a half ago)
- Signed copy of JOYRIDE, from Karina Rykman
- Trey print, donated and signed by Jay Blakesberg
- 3 x 1-year subscriptions to nugs.net
- 6 x $100 gift cards to Section 119
- 2 x 1-year gold memberships from Cash or Trade
- …and many more! [Browse through available prizes here].
The Divided Sky Foundation has been tied to the generosity of the Phish fan community since its inception. Back in 2020, the addiction recovery nonprofit was seeded by more than $1 million in fan donations in conjunction with Anastasio’s livestream series, The Beacon Jams. The foundation’s Divided Sky Residential Recovery Retreat in Ludlow, VT has been open and providing “educational and introspective programming to foster a sober and productive foundation for individuals affected by addiction” since the fall of 2023. Read Anastasio’s thoughts on the opening of the facility here.
Conceived of and founded by Anastasio and program director Melanie Gulde, the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program “gives hope to those struggling with addiction by providing a safe, nurturing environment to begin their recovery journey.” Housing up to 46 guests, the Divided Sky facility is a newly-remodeled former hotel with views of the nearby Okemo Mountain, offering a non-clinical program anchored in the 12 Steps, emotional sobriety, and mindfulness. Donations enable Divided Sky to continue to make its immersive Residential Recovery Program affordable to all, with partial scholarships available to those who demonstrate need. For more on the Divided Sky Foundation, head here.
Dontate to the cause and enter the Trey Anastasio 60th-birthday Divided Sky Foundation charity auction via the Instagram post below. [Note: Participants must view the post via the Instagram mobile app to donate.] Happy (early) birthday, Trey!
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