The Curwensville Golden Tide Marching Band is hard at work rehearsing for a concert to give back to a coach who has given so much to the school and community.

Three years ago, head football coach Andy Evanko was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

“It’s a thank you just for all the years that he has served just this community and helped to create a good team,” drum major Jonah Bell said.

“We also want to bring awareness to ALS,” band director Bo Pennington said. “We feel like it’s a disease that’s not talked about as much as cancer, or maybe other serious diseases.”

All the money raised at the concert will go to Penn State Hershey Medical Center’s ALS program.

As for the football players, who work with coach Evanko every day, they say the band’s concert is a perfect way to honor him.

“We have a coach that puts everything, every single day, every second, sleepless nights just putting in time just to make this town known for football,” player Avery Francisco said. “It’s something special to finally get to honor a guy that’s put everything into it.”

So on Saturday, the band will fill the auditorium with music they’ve been practicing for weeks, in hopes the community will fill it with support for Coach Andy Evanko.

The concert is Saturday in the Dr. Leslie D. Leach auditorium at Curwensville Area High School at 7 p.m. For admission, all they’re asking for is a donation.