Friends, family and fans crowded the Beaver Run Rod and Gun Club for food, fun and good tunes, all for the benefit of Richard "Digger" Bloom, on Saturday.

The proceeds of the Jamming for Digger event, featuring the music of Another Day Dawns, Damian and PsydFX, along with a Chinese auction and a bake sale, all went toward helping out Bloom with medical bills and necessary equipment. Bloom's neck was broken in a swimming accident in 2010, resulting in paralysis.The fundraiser, organized by Bloom's sisters Roxanne Berger and Robin Diehl along with help from other family and friends, was particularly special, as Bloom was able to come out and enjoy the festivities."We had a benefit for him several years ago, after the accident, but he wasn't able to attend," Berger said. "For this one, he's here with his friends and all of his family, so we can share all of the enjoyment. I'm expecting about 200, 225 people to show up. With all the help we've had, we couldn't do this without all of the friends and family who put this together in about six months."Upon arrival, Bloom was swarmed with greetings and well-wishes from supportive friends and family members, all of which were enthusiastic to help a good pal."Oh my goodness, I don't have the time to thank everybody," Bloom said. "There are so many people who helped out, who made it possible. Hopefully, this will help me get some of the things I need. I've got to get a van upgraded so I can drive, and there's some other equipment I need for the home, lifts and stuff. It's so expensive, and it's not covered under most insurances. All of the people, my family and friends, they're all amazing."Bloom, an avid musician, never gave up his passion, even after his spinal cord injury. He still plays and composes his own tracks with the Garage Band app on his iPad, using two specialized styluses and an external microphone. In fact, he was set to make to make an appearance on stage to perform with Damian later in the day, playing some of his favorite classic rock staples."I'll probably do a little Rolling Stones, I like 'Jumpin' Jack Flash,' maybe (Lynyrd Skynyrd's) 'Simple Man.' I like the classic stuff, like '70s stuff. Since I went through high school to the '80s, I'm a hair-band fan, too," he said."Everything's going pretty well for the Chinese auction. We're selling lots of tickets, and we have a lot of nice prizes," Laurie Ahner, who manned the table with Diehl, said. "There's actually 118 items we have, between baskets and gift cards, all from friends and family."Basket themes ranged from hard-rock T-shirts and memorabilia to wine and cheese selections, with everything in between. In addition to that, an electric and an acoustic guitar were both up for raffle, along with a handmade wine bench."He is a cousin to my other half, and I consider him my cousin. I know his mother very well, she's a sweetheart, Aunt Donna," Brenda Holliday said as she entered her tickets for several baskets. "He needs all the money he can get to help him recuperate and do what he wants to do. He wants to get better. They really did a fantastic job with all of this stuff. I've been looking forward to coming out for this."With the last fundraising effort having drawn out about 300 supporters and $20,000 in donations, the family hopes that this event can top those figures, allowing Bloom access to better quality equipment so that he can continue living his life, pursue his passions, and promote research into spinal injuries for the betterment of all."This is awesome, to do this, and it helps with getting the things you need to make daily life tolerable," Bloom said. "I also hope the research advances fast, that would be the only thing I could ask for. I keep hearing 'it's so close, it's so close.' Who knows, next week, something could be announced. It'll get there. Today, I just hope everyone has a good time."