Justin Hines has been riding a Vehicle of Change across North America this summer.
The singer-songwriter from Creemore, Ont. has been touring Canada and the U.S. in a large RV playing concerts and donating the proceeds to local charities in each community.
He stops at the Italian Cultural Centre in Thunder Bay on Tuesday to raise money for the March of Dimes.
"We just wanted to do something kind of different, unique and meaningful with this tour," said Hines, who just released his fifth studio album, How We Fly, in May.
Hines has Larsen Syndrome, a joint dislocation condition, and he uses a wheelchair. So finding the right vehicle for this tour was a challenge.
He was looking for a tour bus or RV for the tour, but the cost of an accessible one would have been "astronomical."
Then they heard from a couple in Brockville, Ont. with an accessible RV.
"They told us they would rent the vehicle to us but when we arrived there they ended up making the call to donate it to the tour with the condition that once we're done with it, we would pay it forward to somebody else," Hines said.
"It's been cozy but definitely part of the spirit of what we're trying to accomplish," he added.
The response to the Vehicle of Change tour has been awesome, said Hines.
While he's been all over the map geographically and the types of audiences he's played for, Hines said there is one common thread to each place he stops.
"We've met some amazing people doing great community work. I think that's what's linking all of these shows together," he said.
While the focus of the tour is helping out charities, Hines is also promoting How We Fly, which was an album created during a dark time for the musician.
"It was a tough time for me physically and my voice was kind of changing on me a little bit and it was kind of a scary period," he said.
"The cool thing about music is it can become very therapeutic and definitely is a snapshot of what's going on in your world at that moment."
Hines is playing at the Italian Cultural Centre on Aug. 20. The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at the Baggage Building, March of Dimes, MEDIchair, Painted Turtle, Print Pros Plus, SHIFT YPN office and the Thunder Bay Transit office.
