CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Two young cousins who have been practising playing music together decided to put that skill to use Saturday night, playing some street tunes to raise money for last week’s fire victims.
Cogan LeBlanc, 11, and Colby Peters, 10, spent an hour of their evening busking on the corner of Queen and Grafton streets in Charlottetown. They got the idea after hearing about the fire at The Harold apartment complex in Charlottetown on July 17.
“All of the seniors who lost their home in the fire, we are raising money for them,” Colby said. “To hopefully help them out a bit.”
While nobody was harmed by the fire, 52 residents were displaced, mostly seniors. They were aided by the Canadian Red Cross to find living arrangements, towards which Cogan and Colby plan to donate their raised money.
Cogan is from Moncton, and he’s visiting P.E.I. for four weeks to take part in the Andrews Hockey Growth Program at UPEI with Colby, who’s from Charlottetown.
Their first time busking was two years ago. Cogan was on strings, Colby was on bongos, and they played an hour-long set.
“We made, actually like, 16 bucks each,” Colby said, noting that’s more than minimum wage today.
“It’s easy, it’s fun, I just enjoy it,” Cogan said.
Cogan is the one who learns how to play the songs, while Colby plays along to the beat. They can play about five or six songs, their favourite being “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes.
The cousins like to do small acts of kindness around their communities. Sometimes they hand out dog treats in Victoria Park or Peake’s Quay.
By the end of their busking session Saturday, they raised about $40. Their moms then took them out for some well-earned ice cream to cap off the night.
