Grammy-nominated New Orleans singer/songwriter Andrew Duhon entertained at a concert last Tuesday evening at the Vero Beach Heritage Center hosted by the Indian River Community Foundation and members of the Business for a Better Indian River County.

The invited guests chatted over hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine before settling in to enjoy the soulful sounds of the Andrew Duhon Trio. Backed by Myles Weeks on bass and Shawn Myers on drums, Duhon played guitar and harmonica while singing original songs from his three recordings, the latest of which is “The Moorings.”

In addition to treating the audience to an Americana jam session, the focus of the evening was to encourage other local businessmen to join the mission of the BBIRC. Modeled after the successful Impact 100 formula, the group formed several years ago and enlisted the support of the IRCF to make grants to local nonprofits.

“We help generous people simplify and carry out their charitable giving,” explained Jeff Pickering, IRCF president and CEO. “When you’ve got my job and you’ve got a foundation with $44 million in assets and 200 charities in town, you hear a lot of pitches about good things being done. And they’re not always the kinds of things that we can help out immediately.”

The men formed BBIRC after recognizing the greater impact of pooling their resources to make more significant grants.

“We are a group of about a dozen guys that have come together to share friendship, practice philanthropy and do some good for some unsung hero-type charities. We practice our philanthropy on a casual basis. We each give $1,000 to the pot and make our decisions over lunch or a cold beverage at the end of the workday,” said Ryan Weaver.

“When we choose to give proactively and intentionally we are practicing philanthropy. It’s amazing how much time and treasure the Vero Beach community has given back. Business for a Better Indian River County is a microcosm of this generous community.”

Pointing out the importance of ‘paying it forward’ as the men of BBIRC are doing, Duhon said he appreciated having grown up in a loving home with supportive parents.

“I can’t be thankful enough for the life they provided me,” said Duhon. “I have so much to give back in my own right; to have been given a life and an opportunity to figure out some way to be creative and then have enough freedom and confidence in myself.”