Jeff Daniels lends voice for Tri-Cities Ministries fundraiser Aug. 8 at Waterfront Stadium
Fri, Jul 3, 2009 
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BY PETER DAINING
pdaining@grandhaventribune.com
Fresh off a Tony Award nomination, Michigan native Jeff Daniels has agreed to perform his music in Grand Haven for a Tri-Cities Ministries Counseling fundraiser next month.
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Tickets for the Aug. 8 show at Waterfront Stadium will start at $30, according to TCM Executive Director Sarah Hochhuth.
"TCM works hard to help others," Daniels said. "When they approached me to help them raise some money so they could continue their good deeds, I was happy to help."
The event comes at a time when the nonprofit counseling service has seen twice as many people coming through its doors at 120 S. Fifth St. as a year ago. Because of budget cuts and the poor economy, Hochhuth said government mental health services are harder to obtain — meaning more people are seeking out TCM.
While some places require minimum payments of $50, Tri-Cities Ministries' minimum is $6. Even that is sometimes waived in exchange for volunteer service, Hochhuth said.
Hochhuth said the Jeff Daniels concert could bring in between $20,000 and $25,000, which would help TCM uphold its mission of not turning anyone away from counseling services.
"You can only tap your friends out so many times and they won't even look at your e-mails anymore," Hochhuth said. "You really need a fundraiser where people will come without even knowing it's a fundraiser — they'll just come to listen to Jeff Daniels."
Daniels is known for key roles in many movies — including "101 Dalmatians," "Arachnophobia," "My Favorite Martian," "Gods and Generals," "Gettysburg," "The Butcher's Wife" and "Dumb and Dumber." He's also in four films debuting this year, including "State of Play."
TCM had booked him for last summer, according to Hochhuth, but Daniels had to cancel after accepting a role in a Broadway play, "God of Carnage." Daniels recently received a Tony Award nomination for his role in the play.
According to the actor's Web site, Daniels has also been writing songs for 30 years — which he put in a "big black notebook."
"If you really wanted to get to know me, you'd find me in there," he wrote.
Daniels has written around 400 songs, some of which made it onto his three albums. Daniels' music can be heard on his myspace.com site.
Although Daniels is busy performing and making movies, he still has a deep footprint in Michigan. He lives in Chelsea, where he founded The Purple Rose Theatre Company.
Daniels is also playing Aug. 3 at Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids.
For tickets to the TCM benefit concert, visit the counseling services' Web site.
On the Net:
www.tcmcounseling.org
www.myspace.com/jeffdaniels
www.jeffdaniels.com
