Concert in Morgantown raises money for cancer research

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Mon County Center at Mylan Park hosted Tonie’s Country Roads Concert to College Tour on Friday evening to raise funds and awareness for the early detection of breast cancer.

West Virginia native Wyatt Turner and numerous other local bands and performers played to benefit the Tonie’s Fund, a non-profit foundation created to encourage people to get early detection for breast cancer and also to educate them on the subject.

The nonprofit was started by Mark Gentile, who named it after his late wife Tonie Renner Gentile, who passed away from breast cancer in 2023. He told 12 News that early detection is “huge” and that shared the story of his wife’s diagnosis and how he started the program.

“By the time we got to the doctor, saw the doctor and everything else, she was already stage four. There were a couple of signs, but we didn’t recognize them at the time, and honestly had we recognized them then we might not be here today. But because we are here today, I want to make sure that everybody gets out there and, you know, does the check-ups, does the mammograms, that honestly is why we are supporting the WVU Cancer Institue because they do a statewide program of early detection of breast cancer especially with Bonnies Bus and a lot of other key programs,” Mark Gentile said.

Mark Gentile told 12 News that his wife was a firefighter and EMT who once lived in Morgantown before the pair moved to Connecticut. She was also a fan of the Mountaineers and loved music.

“The more you say her name the more she stays alive. We basically can put pictures up of her,” Gentile said. “And it’s not just about Tonie tonight it’s about anybody who’s been touched by cancer, whether it breast cancer or any type of cancer.”

All the proceeds from the concert will go to support breast cancer research and scholarships for first responders and students interested in the medical field.