Jerry Sereda is chasing his dreams and shows his students that each day through his music, his videos, and his live performances.

Now, the Charleswood musician is taking things one step further — donating all iTunes, Amazon and all digital sales of his album Turn The Country On to the Children’s Wish Foundation.

"As a teacher, I’m always trying to help out kids and inspire them," said Sereda, who works as a photography and web design teacher at Sturgeon Heights Collegiate.

"(The foundation is) something big on my list, to help kids meet people they want to meet or do things they may not get a chance to do again."

Released last November, Turn The Country On is Sereda’s first commercial release through EMI.

Sereda, who spent time in Children’s Hospital following a car accident in 1994, was inspired to launch the campaign after a conversation with a friend in the radio business.

"I got to see some kids in the hospital with me that just had it absolutely way worse than I did," he said.

"Children’s Wish helps a lot of kids with a positive outlook in a dire situation. To have their wishes helped out is such a positive impact for the child and family."

Since its inception in 1983, the Manitoba & Nunavut chapter of the Children’s Wish Foundation has granted more than 900 wishes. It currently has more than 140 wishes waiting to be filled.

The organization doesn’t receive government funding, and relies on fundraisers and third parties to help make wishes become a reality, said fundraising co-ordinator Cat Ross.

It costs about $8,500 to fulfill a wish, Ross said.

"I think it’s phenomenal," she said.

"We literally rely on fundraisers such as this one to be able to help us grant the wishes for our children. These events help out in a huge capacity."

Sereda plans to post updates of his donations online, and continue donating until he records and releases a new album. He’s pushing digital sales because it gives him more control of where the proceeds go.

"I may not make a million dollars to donate for this, but I’ll work towards it," he said.
For more information, visit www.jerryseredamusic.com.

Facebook.com/TheMetroWPG
Twitter: @metroWPG

matt.preprost@canstarnews.com