Findlay Acura sponsors Heaven Can Wait concert

Findlay Acura continues its support of the Heaven Can Wait Animal Society with the third annual Gimme Shelter benefit concert May 28 at The Village in Lake Las Vegas.

Featuring Grammy Award winner Skip Martin, the concert is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

"This will be the coolest concert we have ever done," said Heaven Can Wait founder Harold Vosko. "That's a real play on the event since Skip is a former lead singer for Kool & the Gang."

Martin, a 24-year resident of Southern Nevada, jumped at the chance to perform and help Heaven Can Wait.

"I am an avid pet owner and a passionate Grammy Award-winning musician," Martin said. "We're going to give an energetic, exciting and fun concert that will have people talking forever.

"Among our music will be songs from some of my legacy years with Kool & the Gang and the Dazz Band. We're going to look back and have fun."

The concert was created after Heaven Can Wait Director of Fundraising Valerie Treaster just happened to be speaking with a friend of Martin's last year.

"I was at a club at Lake Las Vegas and I was chatting with a good friend about our fundraiser," Treaster explained. "The friend responded by telling me that she knew Grammy Award-winner Skip Martin, who is also an animal lover and owns a Labrador retriever named Rasha.

"From there, Skip was added to our fundraiser, and I cannot tell you how thrilled we are to have him this year."

Treaster added that the time of the concert is perfect, since it also marks the reopening of Casino Monte Lago.

"You won't find a better combination," she said. "This is going to be an absolute blast."

The Heaven Can Wait Animal Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating the senseless euthanasia of more than 40,000 animals annually in Southern Nevada. A leader in education and awareness of the principles of responsible pet ownership, the society has saved thousands of animals through its sterilization, rescue and rehabilitation programs including: The Feral Cat Clinic controlling the overpopulation and suffering of feral cats; Ground Zero, offering affordable spay-and-neuter programs; It's The Pits, focusing on sterilization of pit bull and pit-mixed breeds; Tails to Tails fostering children's literacy utilizing trained dogs; and Pups on Parole, pairing homeless rescue animals with inmates at correctional facilities for rehabilitation and reintroduction into society.

Findlay Acura is headed by General Manager James Cobbs. The dealership is part of Findlay Automotive Group, which was founded 50 years ago by the late Pete Findlay. His son, Cliff, now spearheads new and used automobile operations in Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Arizona.

"We're going to have some great fun with the concert," Cobbs said. "When you tie someone as talented as Skip Martin into a benefit like this one everyone wins and we're really looking forward to it."

For more information regarding the concert, go to www.hcws.org, contact Findlay Acura at www.findlayacura, call 702-982-4100, call 714-812.5903 or visiting www.skipmartinmusic.com.