By: Danya Mustafa

As you see in the video, the “Take Action Tour” was very upbeat. Kids there were screaming and jumping all around the place, and it was a great place if you live music, dancing, and giving back.

My experiences at the Take action tour was one I’ll never forget. It was such a great combination of music and helping save lives. Not only did I get the chance to interview the band, A Rocket to the Moon, jam out to awesome music, and hang out with my friends on a Sunday Night, I also got the chance to sign up to become a possible donor for somebody who has Leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. I know from personal experiences that it’s really important that people help donate bone marrow. My mother is diagnosed with Myeloid Leukemia and will soon need a bone marrow transplant. If you’re over 18, I highly suggest that you sign up to become a donor. Many kids are diagnosed with Leukemia so you could help save a life of a child who was diagnosed at an early age. Me and my friends also made a collection bin and went down the line while people were waiting to get in and asked for any spare change they have that they can donate to “Driving for Donors”. We raised around 25 dollars just by doing that!

Just like Eric Halvorsen from A Rocket to the Moon said in the video, the Take Action Tour is a tour that was thought up by a now 14 year old boy named Patrick who was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 10. He and his family started up “Driving for Donors” which is a non profit organization who raises funds to help find matches for people who need bone marrow transplants. At the Take Action Tour 10% of the ticket sales go to “Driving for Donors” and CD’s and T-shirts all go to the organization as well.

During the interview I asked Justin Richards and Eric Halvorsen from A Rocket to the Moon, what makes this tour so different from others and they told me that the reason this tour is so different is because bands are coming together for such a great cause and giving back to people who need it. Outside I caught up with two band members Brooks Betts and Derek Sanders from Mayday Parade, and they told me that during the tour, they go to different Children’s hospitals and play shows from them. I thought that was really amazing because they aren’t doing this just for fame or publicity, but because they truly do want to give back. If they didn’t they wouldn’t be touring cross country in a bus for hours on end waiting to play a next show. That is dedication.

The show was one of a kind, and I hope the Take action Tour comes back to Albuquerque next year!

For more information on how you can donate or get involved in “Driving for Donors” go to www.drivingfordonors.com

If you want information on the Take Action tour go to www.takeactiontour.com

You can also find more music and information on A Rocket to the Moon by going to www.myspace.com/arockettothemoon

Special thanks to A Rocket to the Moon for letting KUNM Youth Radio interview them.