The Southcoast Brass Band is staging a fundraiser on Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday") on February 25 to benefit  the New Bedford Boys and Girls Club.

Dr. Michael Rocha, a cardiologist at Hawthorne Medical Associates in Dartmouth and a founding member of the Southcoast Brass Band, has a special place in his heart for the Boys and Girls Club.

Dr. Rocha learned to play basketball there as a youngster, and later was a standout for the 1993 New Bedford High School Whalers squad that captured the state basketball championship.

Dr. Rocha joined Townsquare Sunday this week to discuss what the Boys and Girls Club means to him, and the volunteer work he's doing to assist the club financially.

The Boys and Girls Club has always been thought of as a place for basketball and athletics, but Dr. Rocha said new programs have been added in recent years to expand the horizons of children. They include academic and leadership programs, art and music.

Rocha serves on the organization's Board of Directors, and helps organize fundraising events to benefit the Boys and Girls Club. One such event is coming up on February 25 at 7 p.m. at the Zeiterion Stage Door Live venue. It's a celebration of Mardi Gras with music by the Southcoast Brass Band.

"We are the region's only seven-piece, New Orleans-style brass band," Rocha said. "For those who have been down to New Orleans, we would be pretty much what you would see if you had taken a trip to the Crescent City."

Celebrate Mardi Gras with the Southcoast Brass Band!  Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at zeiterion.org.

The complete Townsquare Sunday interview with Dr. Rocha can be heard here:

Townsquare Sunday is a weekly public affairs program heard every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. on WBSM. The program highlights individuals and organizations seeking to make the SouthCoast a better place to live and work.

If you would like your organization featured on Townsquare Sunday, please e-mail and host at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com.

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