Executive Vice President, Kevin O’Toole, is not only one of the Principals of Hunzinger and a seasoned construction professional, he is also an accomplished musician. If that weren’t enough to keep oneself busy, Kevin has been a servant leader in our community. He has dedicated himself to serving on a number of non-profit boards throughout the years and recently concluded 20 years of service as a volunteer board member for Make-A-Wish, both locally and nationally.
Currently, Kevin serves on the Musicians on Call Board of Directors, serving as its secretary. Musicians on Call is based in New York City and is a nonprofit organization that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. They use music to promote and complement the healing process for patients, families, and caregivers.
A little over two years ago on a Saturday night, Kevin was drawn to the television where Lester Holt was doing a story for the NBC Nightly News “Making a Difference” segment about Musicians on Call. The segment featured Darius Rucker as he performed for patients at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbuilt University. He was playing for patients in their hospital rooms and Musicians on Call’s Nashville branch had set the whole thing up. Kevin was intrigued. He had been a lifelong musician and his strong faith had lead him to a life of volunteerism and here was what seemed like the perfect fit for him. The next Monday, he sent along an inquiry about Musicians on Call to their NY headquarters and was surprised to receive a response back within hours. They were interested in meeting him and what he had to offer. Within a few weeks, he had visited NY and had performed his first MOC hospital visit. It was a perfect fit!
Two years later and he has performed for over 100 individuals in facilities like Lenox Hill Hospital, Village Care Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, NYU Langone Medical Center and Alive Hospice. He is very involved in their board meetings and fundraising events, traveling to NY or Nashville multiple times throughout the year. When attending board meetings and even when on vacation in Nashville, Kevin travels with a guitar and spends time in a healthcare facility delivering the mission.
“The experience of going to someone’s hospital room and playing for them is amazing and rewarding beyond any description. To put a smile on someone’s face is really what it’s all about. Sharing that experience is a privilege and I am so honored to be able to do it. I am really proud to serve on Musicians on Call’s board as we are continuing to grow and expand. Since its founding in 1999, we have performed for nearly half a million individuals and counting,” reflected O’Toole.
Since its formation, in addition to its headquarters in NY, Musicians on Call has branches in Nashville, Washington D.C./Baltimore, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Miami with plans to open more branches in the coming years. For more information or to donate click here