The Parrot Heads In Michiana (PHiM) are coming to Niles this week and true to form — they’re doing so for a cause.

The area club, comprised of members throughout southwest Michigan and northern Indiana, are sponsoring a portion of the Thursday night Niles Summer Concert Series performance by the Party Boat Band beginning at 7 p.m.

While they’re in town, the PHiM members are hoping to raise money for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association. The national organization is dedicated to the research of and fight against the disease, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“When we started our club, it’s kind of a social club, but everything we do has some type of fundraising attached to it,” said Carey Bert, president of the group.
The Michiana chapter, which has approximately 80 members, has organized and held pancake breakfasts, food drives and other activities to support a number of charities.

Parrott Heads evolved out of the devoted and notable groups of fans of the popular musician Jimmy Buffett.

“It’s expanded to where there are over 200 clubs nationwide plus several around the world,” Bert said. “We’ve been around about six years.”

Raising money for the ALS Association is somewhat personal for one of the Michiana chapter’s members.

“One of our members is a caregiver for a person who has ALS,” Bert said. “So it was close to her heart.”

According to the ALS, the disease is described as a “progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord.  When these cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement dies with them.” Patients often suffer paralysis.

Members will be reaching out to the public for donations during the concert. Just recently, Bert said, the group pulled together $750 in donations through a garage sale.

For more information on the Parrot Heads in Michiana, go to www.parrotheadsinmichiana.org. For the summer concert series schedule, check out the Niles Summer Concert Series’ Facebook page.