Local country star performs at The Family Place 40th anniversary benefit concert

Kenadi Dodds, a 17-year-old local country star and America’s Got Talent finalist, performed at The Family Place 40th anniversary benefit concert on Aug. 6.

Dodds, who has been singing her whole life, said she wanted to be a country music star ever since she attended a Shania Twain concert when she was nine years old.

With support from her parents and two younger sisters, Dodds has found her niche in songwriting and likes to write songs about things she cares about.

“I like to write about whatever is going on in my life at the moment, whether I’m going through it or someone I know is going through something,” Dodds said.

She went on to speak about The Family Place and their mission, expressing how much she values what the organization is all about.

“I just love what they’re doing,” she said. “The one most important thing to me in my life is my family, and I love that The Family Place’s goal is to protect families and help them through hard times.”

The Family Place, founded in 1982, is home to the Crisis Respite Nursery, which is a childcare service that, in an effort to support families, allows caregivers to drop off their children up to 11 years of age for up to two hours a week.

The organization also offers services in education and therapy for both families and individuals to help keep families and children safe and successful in their daily responsibilities.

The Family Place Utah executive director, Sheryl Goodey, spoke about why Dodds was the perfect fit for the 40th anniversary concert.

“She has a family that has challenges, just like everybody else,” Goodey said. “Together, they have helped to create a resilient family, and The Family Place really strives to help families in our area to become resilient so that with some extra skills and support, they might be able to bounce back and withstand those challenges that might happen.”

Goodey mentioned that in addition to showing how children and families can support each other and be resilient to life’s challenges, the concert was a great opportunity to let a “hometown girl” share her beautiful voice with the community.

This year’s event was also special because it commemorated the 40th anniversary of the organization, according to Goodey.

“We have been around for 40 years, providing services for anyone in need, regardless of their income, education, religious background,” she said. “We are here for them, and we are so excited to celebrate this time that we have been able to serve the community.”

This concert in particular also held a special place in Dodds’ heart, especially when she performed one of her originals, “It’s Not My Time To Go,” about suicide and depression awareness.

“I didn’t plan on doing that song, but I felt like something was telling me to sing that one for some reason,” Dodds said. “After the show, I had a lot of people tell me that they needed that song, so that was really cool to hear.”

All in all, both Goodey and Dodds felt that the night was successful.

“It was definitely a very special concert,” Dodds said. “It was put on very nicely and the people there were all very welcoming and amazing to work with.”

-Ryker.Eggenberger@usu.edu

Featured photo from America’s Got Talent