The Light of Day Foundation, Inc., utilizes the power of music to raise money and awareness in its continuing battle to defeat Parkinson’s disease and related illnesses such as PSP and ALS within our lifetime. The Foundation’s mission is to fund research into possible cures, improved treatments and support for patients who suffer from those illnesses, their families and their caregivers, to help improve their quality of life.
Light of Day – the concerts and the organization – grew from a birthday party and fund-raiser held in 1998 at the Downtown Cafe in Red Bank to celebrate the 40th birthday of artist manager and music industry veteran Bob Benjamin, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1996. Benjamin named the Foundation after the Springsteen song of the same name, with the fitting lyrics: " Well I’m a little down under, but I’m feeling okay – I got a little lost along the way – I’m just around the corner to the light of day." Springsteen wrote the powerful anthem LIGHT OF DAY, performed in the 1987 movie of the same name by Joan Jett, who starred alongside Michael J. Fox. Fox has bravely battled Parkinson’s since the early ‘90s and on one legendary night in November 2003, at the fourth annual LOD show, he brought the house down when he joined Springsteen onstage at the legendary Stone Pony for a rousing rendition of “Light of Day.”
Photographer Mark Weiss has teamed up for the third straight year with the LIGHT OF DAY FOUNDATION for another auction of his iconic images. Weiss shot the cover photos for two of the most memorable albums of the ‘80s ─ Bon Jovi’s multi-platinum breakthrough, Slippery When Wet, and Twisted Sister's smash hit album, Stay Hungry. This year’s auction features iconic images of David Bowie, Van Halen, Prince, Guns N’ Roses, the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, from the original River tour in 1980. Mark Weiss is extremely passionate about his photo auctions, which he started in 2011 to benefit Lunch Break, the soup kitchen in Red Bank, NJ, by launching an art program with the Boys and Girls Club. Weiss also recently raised money with his photographs for the Rockit Live Foundation’s live music education mission at their 2016 Gala, where Maureen and Steven Van Zandt were honored for their lifetime devotion to the arts. “I never imagined when I was 16 and sneaking my camera into concerts, that I could make a living out of it, much less help out those in need by donating the sales of these photos three decades later,” says Weiss. “My career as a photographer has been a dream come true, and it’s time to give back." "Whether helping the people in my hometown with life's necessities or supporting the overwhelming battle against Parkinson's, we all do whatever we can,” Weiss continued. “I am honored to stand alongside the generous and talented musicians I have worked with for decades to once again help make this year's LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST an epic success. I have been humbled and inspired by Bob Benjamin's story and by the powerful snowballing impact LOD has had for the last 17 years.” To learn more about Mark Weiss, click HERE.
