Tina Turner impersonator raises funds for PTSD

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

In one week’s time the Royal Canadian Legion in Strathmore will be unrecognizable. The room will reflect the hustle and bustle, lights, and energy of Las Vegas, as award-winning Tina Turner tribute artist Luisa Marshall takes to the stage in an effort to raise money for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The British Columbia-based impersonator is touring across Canada to raise awareness of the condition and donate money to the Veterans Transition Network through her Hope Beyond Thunderdome tour. The tour started in early March on Vancouver Island and is expected to finish in St. John’s, Newfoundland in June. So far, Marshall, who dedicates $5 of each ticket to the cause, already raised $3,600 with three shows. Before the end of the tour, she is booked for 37 more shows.
“I think it’s very timely and we hope that we can help them because if we as a community become involved in something like this, our veterans will really highly appreciate it,” said Marshall. “It’s psychological and that’s not easy. You hear about raising awareness for anti-bullying, for breast cancer, for heart disease, but the PTSD you don’t hear much about. I believe the more awareness that we bring to this issue, it’s going to be a win-win.”
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a tenacious mental and emotional stress that is born out of an injury or severe psychological shock. Over the past decade, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 10 in Strathmore has raised $20,000 through the Shoot for the Troops fundraiser; funds that were dedicated to the Calgary Military Family Resource Centre. The organization supports members and families of the Canadian Armed Forces by offering programs and services dedicated to support and intervention, counselling, personal development, child and youth programs and much more. As a result, some of the money was allocated to PTSD.
“It’s not only adults who have PTSD; it’s children,” said Jenny Schumann. “When you look on the news now, all the way across Canada, it isn’t only our veterans, it’s emergency services, it’s RCMP, firefighters, and the suicide rate has just gone up tremendously. I think that PTSD, people need to be aware of it. Just the fact that she’s doing this here… I’m sure her cross-Canada tour will raise thousands and thousands of dollars to help that. We’re glad to have her here.”
Marshall, who is said to show an uncanny resemblance to the idol which she started impersonating in 1995, has garnered quite the reputation, having appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show twice, dancing with Ellen Degeneres on her stage, being named the 2003 World Rock ‘N Roll Tribute Artist Champion, was voted the RBC’s Top 25 Immigrant of the year for 2014, and even walked the red carpet at the Golden Globes – where she mingled with the likes of Taylor Swift and Jon Voight. Yet her passion and concern for PTSD among the Canadian military and firemen sparked this year’s tour. Influenced during her performance for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force years ago, which included Sarajevo, Bosnia and eventually the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Israel and Egypt, Marshall began her fundraising efforts. According to Schumann, half of the tickets for the Strathmore show, which are capped at 130, are already sold.
Luisa Marshall will be performing at 8 p.m. on April 2 in Strathmore. Tickets are on sale at the Strathmore Legion for $25 per person. A turkey dinner will also be available for an additional $10 with a Hope Beyond Thunderdrome ticket, or $15 without.