How Irene Gregory Wilkinson Strikes a Chord for ALS Canada

Irene Gregory Wilkinson has lived a full life, working as a biomedical researcher in UK, she spent half of her time in Cabaret with her sister, Carole. They toured Europe together with their band Hermanas. Tragically, Carole became ill and passed away.  Irene was broken. She came to Canada in 1974 and worked with CBC as a radio producer, an educator and, eventually, as a full-time mom. But these days, the Halifax, Nova Scotia resident is best known as a vocalist with a massive heart.

In 2016, she organized her first benefit concert in honour of a teacher friend who was diagnosed with ALS. As she and her band prepared for the show in a popular music venue in downtown Halifax, Irene worried about the turnout. But the room quickly filled to capacity with a warm show of support for the cause – spotlighting the striking impact of community.

“I wanted our music to stand for more than just entertainment and I thought benefiting ALS would be a perfect opportunity. I dedicated the first concert to my friend,” she said.

Every single one of her four ALS benefit concerts since then has sold out, raising nearly $9,000 for ALS Canada.

Organizing a concert is a lot of work and Irene handles almost every detail herself, from managing band rehearsals, selling tickets, and coordinating with venues. Her husband, Peter, acts as her road manager and sound engineer to ensure the audio is “absolutely perfect”.

The music almost stopped in 2024 when Irene’s younger sister, Nicola, passed away. Heartbroken in grief, Irene believed she would never find the spirit to perform again.

Her path back to the stage began when she was asked to sing a few songs for a charity evening. Standing under the lights, she knew this was exactly what Carole would want her to do. When she decided to step back into fundraising, she knew she had to start with ALS.

Now, Irene is determined to make her ALS benefit show an annual tradition. She works with ALS Canada to get valuable support, such as providing educational flyers. She also invites medical specialists to provide information at her concerts.

Irene wants to inspire others to consider sharing their talents for a worthy cause like ALS Canada. “Canada is a wonderful country full of willing people. You don’t need a giant production team to make a massive difference. You just need a passion and a willingness to bring people together,” she said.

“And when you find out you can do it once, you want to do it again.”

Inspired by Irene’s story? You can make a difference too. Whether you host a unique community fundraiser, donate, or join an ALS Canada signature event, your support provides essential community assistance, fuels advocacy, and funds critical research and information.