LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The owner of a Louisville restaurant and an information technology employee from Brown-Forman have come together to fight cancer and the general public is invited to help this weekend.
Mike Mulrooney is the founder of a non-profit organization called Shirley's Way.
Shirley was Mike's mother who died of cancer.
"Watching her on her last days was very emotional, it was very tough to watch somebody go through that," says Mulrooney.
So after that experience Mulrooney was motivated to start his non-profit after hearing the stories from others who are being treated for cancer and the huge financial burden it put on them.
"We try to help people financially with cancer," says Mulrooney, "so we try to pay their co-pays, we've paid a lot of utility bills, water bills and gas and electric bills."
This Saturday, the non-profit is staging a benefit concert with five bands participating to raise money for the cause.
"We once had a lady cry one day who told us she didn't have the five dollar bus fare to get back and forth to her cancer center," says Mulrooney, "so it's as simple as a five dollar  round-trip, we bought her a hundred dollars in bus fare passes."
Saturday's fund raiser is being held in the parking lot of the Kitchen Restaurant at 5300 Cane Run Road.
The owner believes locally-owned businesses like his should get involved with such causes.
"We think it is a good opportunity for the community to come together for a project that not only is going to help the south side but all over the city of Louisville," says Kevin Hatfield.
The restaurant is also donating the food for the event and is providing a big screen TV for an auction proceeds of which will go to Shirley's Way.
Mulrooney is hoping the Saturday fund raiser will take in between twenty and thirty thousand dollars.
The music begins at 2:30 P.M. on Saturday.
The benefit concert will cost $25 a person and will last until about 11 P.M.
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