John Driskell Hopkins speaks at Hop On A Cure’s inaugural Harmony for Hope Gala on September 14 in Atlanta.        Photo by Jolie Loren Photography.

Atlanta-based organization Hop On A Cure hosted its inaugural Harmony for Hope Gala on Saturday, September 14, setting a record and raising nearly $1.2 million for ALS research. The evening, which took place at Trilith Studios in nearby Fayetteville, included a farm-to-table meal curated by celebrated Atlanta-area chefs, silent and live auctions, and performances by Zac Brown, John Driskell Hopkins, Clay Cook, Coy Bowles, Chris Fryar, Daniel de los Reyes, and Matt Mangano, as well as hit writers Rhett Akins and Shawn Mullins, and up-and-comers Angie K and Lilith, and Faye Petree.

“Jen and I are so incredibly grateful for all that our sponsors and supporters have done for us,” said Hopkins, co-founder of Hop On A Cure. “We had an amazing night of fellowship and music while raising an incredible amount of money to fund ALS research. ALS is not incurable. The night’s donations from sponsors, family, and friends put us that much closer to finding a cure.”

“ALS is an awful, relentless disease with many challenging days, but the hope our supporters and the ALS community gave us that evening filled our hearts and will carry us as we continue this fight to find a cure for ALS,” added organization CEO Nic Shefrin.

Zac Brown, lead singer of GRAMMY® Award-winning group Zac Brown Band, performs at Hop On A Cure’s Harmony for Hope Gala on September 14 as John Driskell Hopkins harmonizes.                Photo courtesy of Jolie Loren Photography.

Hop On A Cure was founded in 2022 by Hopkins (Hop), and his wife Jennifer, following his diagnosis with ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in 2021. Hopkins is a multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning founding member and songwriter of Zac Brown Band. The Hopkins’ decided to use his public platform as an opportunity to increase ALS awareness and to raise funds to enable new research to find ways to treat, prevent and cure this fatal disease, which currently has no known cure.

The evening also found Hop On A Cure presenting their first Accelerate a Miracle Project Award (AMP Award). Dr. Richard Bedlack, a leading researcher in ALS at Duke University’s ALS Clinic, was this year’s honoree, and was further gifted an additional $50,000 grant towards his work. The award itself features a handcrafted metal sunflower – the official flower of ALS – with screen material where the seeds would be to represent an amp that honors the recipients’ hard work amplifying the seeds of hope for the ALS community.

(L to R): Clay Cooke, Shawn Mullins, Rhett Akins, Lilith, and Angie K perform at Hop On A Cure’s Harmony for Hop Gala on September 14, 2024.    Photo by Jolie Loren Photography.

About Hop On A Cure Foundation:  Hop On A Cure started in 2022 after John Driskell Hopkins of Zac Brown Band was diagnosed with ALS. ALS is consistently one of the most underfunded diseases for research. Because of that, not much significant progress has been made since Lou Gehrig passed away from the disease in 1941. The mission of the foundation is to support research to prevent, reverse, and cure ALS while raising awareness, building a compassionate community, and unleashing the healing power of hope. For more information about Hop On A Cure visit www.hoponacure.org.

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Atlanta-based organization Hop On A Cure hosted its inaugural Harmony for Hope Gala on Saturday, September 14, setting a record and raising nearly $1.2 million for ALS research. The evening, which took place at Trilith Studios in nearby Fayetteville, included a farm-to-table meal curated by celebrated Atlanta-area chefs, silent...