Langley singer and songwriter Lance King is hoping to bring a “brand new sunny day” to people living with a disability.
Every time his song Brand New Sunny Day is played on the radio, King is donating $5 to Options of the Heart, a public awareness campaign on adoption for special needs children.
The campaign comes close to his own heart as King’s daughter, Tiffany, is a young adult with Down Syndrome.
“It’s been an amazing experience having her as part of our family,” King said.
“It’s nice having somebody that really requires your attention and that requires you to really be there to support them and protect them and provide a quality lifestyle for them.”
King’s song, which was featured in the Langley Pos-Abilities documentary Try On a Disability, was written to help people understand what it is like to live with a major disability.
“We want Brand New Sunny Day to be a real inspiration for people and to help people — who aren’t aware of what life is like for those who are disabled — become better educated, and become a little more understanding to those that are living life with a disability,” he said.
For King, whose father is Canadian Country Gospel Hall of Famer Ed King, music has always been a big part of life. But it’s Tiffany that has inspired him to use his songs for activism.
“Tiffany has been working (at Milestones Restaurant) for eight years,” he said.
“You can’t even begin to imagine how important it is for her to take HandyDart each Saturday and Sunday morning and travel to Milestones and do her shift, pre-packaging the food for the cooks, and then returning home on the HandyDart.
“That is such an amazing experience for her. She comes home beaming.”
King and his wife have committed to giving Tiffany a full life, often taking her to community events and paying to have her attend school, but they realize that not everyone can afford to do so.
“We know that there is an awful lot of young people who are disabled who don’t get the attention that they need or who aren’t getting the additional things,” he said.
“These are things that a lot of people aren’t able to do, and we’ve made it a priority with Tiffany. So the whole idea behind the music for me has always been to try to provide some opportunities for some other people to be able to do this stuff as well.”
He sees the Options of the Heart campaign as one of these opportunities.
Every time a radio station plays Brand New Sunny Day, King requests listeners to notify him on his Facebook page.
He will then call the station to verify, and will personally donate up to $500.
Members of the pubic can also donate to the cause on Gofundme at https://www.gofundme.com/vjwads.
The Options of the Heart campaign is aiming to raise $29,000.