It was with great privilege and respect that Hohner has chosen, Buddy Wakefield, as its 2015 recipient of The Hohner Lifetime Achievement Medallion. For over 2 decades, Buddy has merged his 2 loves, playing music and helping people. His enormous heart has benefited a long list of notable charities and set forth an educational program of his own “Tuning for Better Breathing.”

Bruce Elementary School and Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, TX

On May 21, 2015 I provided two Hohner sponsored Harmonikids sessions to two facilities in Houston, Texas. The first was coordinated by the Houston Blues Society and provided educational outreach to 50 schoolchildren in an economically challenged area of the city. Many of these participants are recent refugees from Africa. The second session was to a dozen patients and family members at the Texas Childrens Hospital. In each case the participants were entertained then gifted harmonicas and taught to play four songs.

On April 3rd 2014 a Hohner-sponsored Harmonikids session at the Phoenix Children's Hospital's "Zone" facility brought healing joy to over a dozen child patients and members of their families. It was a fun and raucous session starting with a concert in which I played and the children sang along.

JOE FILISKO - THE WORLDS MOST RECOGNIZED CUSTOMIZER

THE LEADER OF THE HOHNER AFFILIATED CUSTOMIZER CERTIFICATION PROCESS (LCP)

Harmonikids Hohner-sponsored Session For Big Brothers Big Sisters Of Kamloops, British Columbia

On March 15, 2015 I provided a Hohner sponsored Harmonikids session to Big Brothers Big Sisters in Kamloops, BC. In the session 20 participants were entertained then gifted harmonicas and taught to play four songs. It was a rousing success and the kids were very enthusiastic and proud of their newly discovered musical ability.