Celebrating Live From the Heart Austin with The War & Treaty

On April 17, 2025, we celebrated our fifth annual Live From the Heart, presented by Wells Fargo. There was festivity throughout the night in the beautiful Brazos Hall in Austin, Texas, with our community banding together to raise over $330,000 for JoyRx Music.  

We welcomed The War & Treaty to the stage for an exclusive performance this year. This husband-and-wife duo wowed the crowd with their soulful set and stuck around afterward for an exclusive meet-and-greet with audience members.  

We are so grateful for the sponsors, partners, JoyRx Austin Leadership Council members, Board of Director members, attendees, and volunteers who came together to make this event a success!  The gala portion of the evening featured remarks from JoyRx CEO Jack Pipkin and host for the night, Elizabeth McQueen who teamed up with TiWanna Kenney for an exciting live auction and inspiring special appeal.   

A new highlight this year was the presentation of the second-ever Purple Torch Award. Created last year during our Live From the Heart gala in Portland in honor of Board Chair Clare Hamill, we were honored to celebrate this year’s recipient: Bob Lum!  

“[The Purple Torch Award] is our highest honor and meant to recognize leaders whose sparks of inspiration ignite our mission and impact in the community,” said Jack Pipkin. “Tonight, it is my privilege to present The Purple Torch Award again to a man whose dedication to JoyRx Music has paved the way for where we are today, whose belief in the power of music inspires us all.”  

Bob Lum has been a long-standing JoyRx supporter and a key Austin Leadership Council member.  With a deep-rooted respect for the power of music, Bob is president of Pro-Ed Inc. and has pioneered JoyRx in Austin.  

From the early inception days of expanding our program offerings in the Lone Star State, Bob has volunteered hundreds of hours at the forefront of every fundraising effort, partner meeting, and JoyRx Music event to ensure the organization has been supported.  

“When I saw what JoyRx Music was doing with kids suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses, it spoke to me as a lover of music,” Bob shared during an interview in 2022. “From the lens of someone who has seen how music can transform a room and as someone living in a community that thrives on music, JoyRx felt like a good fit for Austin, and I wanted to be involved in order to bring it to kids locally.”  

Indeed, we are where we are today in no small part thanks to Bob.  

“Bob, you have guided our growth in Austin like no one else,” Jack shared, “As an Oregon transplant to Austin, you’ve helped chart the course for our expansion into this incredible community. Your service… and your volunteerism… is unparalleled. You’ve been a connector, a generous supporter, and a great friend to JoyRx.”  

“I believe in the power of music,” Bob shared to a riveted room. “I believe in the mission of this organization to share music and joy with those who need it most. What JoyRx Music brings every day to the children and families we serve is a reflection of the Austin music community — this place that we love.”  

Of course, another decisive moment in the evening was hearing from JoyRx-served parent, Allison Wolfe, who shared the inspiring story of her son, Ford, and his fight against Leukemia.  

Allison (who told Ford’s story at our annual Portland gala last year) highlighted her experience with JoyRx Music. You can read Ford’s powerful story in our blog here — but on this night, Allison shared an amazing update:  

“Today, I am thrilled to share that… just two weeks ago, we hit another major milestone: he rang the bell, surrounded by family, dear friends, and his incredible care team, to celebrate the end of his treatment.”  

Naturally, the whole crowd cheered Allison on, joining her in that incredible celebration.  

“Thank you for bringing that community, music, and joy to us,” she told the room once the standing ovation quieted. “When we were diagnosed with Leukemia a few years ago, one of our biggest fears was that Ford would be ‘the cancer kid.’ That cancer would define him and follow him. I’m happy we were wrong: Ford chooses joy. Joy defines him.”  

We wrapped up the night celebrating the power of music with a live performance from Grammy Award-nominated duo The War & Treaty.  

Live From the Heart Austin 2025 was made possible, in part, by the support of our Presenting Sponsor, Wells Fargo.  

We want to give our heartfelt thanks to our Entertainment Sponsor, 360 MD; our Bar Sponsor, Tito’s Vodka; our Event Sponsor, Mia the Event Diva; our Photography Sponsor, Henna Chevrolet; and our Joy Table Sponsors, Pro-Ed, Weaver, and Wind Energy Transmission Texas LLC. 

Missed out on attending Austin’s Live From the Heart? Join us on October 4, 2025, for Live From the Heart Portland. Please save the date and check our events page soon for additional details.

Check out photos from the night below