Steve Poltz performs benefit for Carlsbad nonprofit

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Steve Poltz will return to San Diego on Thursday, Nov. 10, for a concert at the Belly Up in Solana Beach to benefit Carlsbad nonprofit Adapt Functional Movement Center.

All proceeds of the concert will go to the organization’s scholarship fund to help pay for therapy and rehabilitation for people affected by multiple sclerosis and other chronic neurological conditions.

“I spoke with some of the wonderful people at Adapt, and I know they are doing great work serving their community,” said Poltz, who co-wrote Jewel’s multiplatinum hit “You Were Meant for Me” while they both were living in San Diego. “There are a lot of folks that can’t afford treatment. They run the whole gamut from mental health to physical therapy.”

Poltz, who had his own health scare in 2015 when he had a mild stroke while performing, said he wants to help raise money and awareness for people suffering from MS, ALS, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and cerebral palsy.

“San Diego is like coming home to me,” he said. “It’s where I started The Rugburns, and it’s where I met Jewel. I have a friend who is currently navigating her journey with MS. Adapt is a great organization, and I’m honored to team up with them.”

Local artist Ryan Hiller is the opening act in the concert, which marks Adapt’s fifth anniversay.

“We are incredibly excited to be back in person putting on some great music for an even better cause,” said Adapt’s co-founder and executive director, John Monteith, who was featured in a 2019 San Diego Union-Tribune story.

“Filling the void in ongoing rehabilitative care for people suffering from some of the most challenging conditions on the planet is where we thrive,” he said. “The return of our annual benefit concert allows us to fundraise to reach an even more broad population of people who desperately need our services.”

Monteith started Adapt in 2017 with his wife, Melanie, after she was diagnosed with MS.

Doors open at 7 p.m., with Hiller taking the stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 for general admission and are available online on the Belly Up website.