Its been several months since the tragic death of Glee's Cory Monteith, but the late actor continues to have a huge impact on the Vancouver charity he patronized.
Last week, Fox's hit series — on which Monteith starred as quarterback-turned-glee-club-member Finn Hudson — memorialized the actor and his on-screen alter-ego. Entitled The Quarterback, the episode featured emotional performances of stirring songs like Seasons of Love, Ill Stand by You, No Surrender, and Make You Feel My Love by the Glee cast.
The episode's songs were soon available for purchase on iTunes. But this time around, Fox and Columbia Records announced that they would donate net proceeds to Project Limelight.
The Vancouver charity provides free meals and performing arts programs to children living on Vancouver's Eastside. It's funded in part by proceeds from downstairs neighbour East of Main Café. While Project Limelight was a favourite charity of Monteith's (who dined at East of Main Café days before his untimely passing), the news that Fox and Columbia Records would be making the donation still came as a pleasant shock, says co-founder Maureen Webb.
"We were very surprised and honoured to hear that [Columbia Records and Fox] planned to include Project Limelight in the tribute episode," Webb told WE Vancouver this past weekend.
Webb said that Elena Kirschner, Cory's long-time manager, and Melissa Kates, his publicist, were instrumental in fostering the relationship between Project Limelight and the entertainment corporations. "[None] of this would have happened if [Kirschner in particular] hadn't had the vision to make Project Limelight the small ray of light in this very dark time," said Webb.
The funds raised will assist Project Limelight in its mission to enrich the lives of local children through free performing arts programs.
Monteith was deeply committed to Project Limelight, and his passing continues to be felt by the organization and the kids it serves. "With the children who are old enough to understand, we've dealt with it privately, and with the help of their parents," said Webb.
For the most part, though, Webb says the global attention that Project Limelight has received since Monteith's death hasn't quite entered the children's world. Their focus: a pantomime version of Snow White at SFU Woodward's in January.
