The arts are important in all facets of Mike Girouard’s life. At work, he’s been a graphic designer with Plasticraft for 20 years. In his spare time, he plays guitar and supplies vocals for several bands – a pastime of his for over three decades.

For roughly 30 years, Girouard has been putting his musical talents to a good cause.

He’s been involved in benefit concerts since he started playing in bands, raising money for organizations in the Saint John, NB region like the SPCA, AIDS Saint John and a local food bank. The concerts have ranged from smaller scale to larger venues like the Imperial Theatre in Saint John.

“I generally think if people need my help and ask for my help, I will give them my help in any capacity I can if it’s in my capacity to do so,” Girouard said.

Most recently, Girouard was involved in a benefit concert for the Kennebecasis Valley Food Basket – the food bank that serves the Kennebecasis Valley region in New Brunswick. It was his largest benefit concert to date.

Called "Come Together," the show featured Beatles hits as well as some lesser-known gems. It was a real treat for Girouard, a self-professed Beatles junkie, but even more rewarding was the fact that the concert raised more than $20,000 for the Food Basket.

Raising funds for a food bank was particularly important to Girouard, who hopes he can inspire others to help their communities.

“That’s a big one,” he said. “This (issue) is visible.”

At Plasticraft, a typical day for Girouard also involves an artistic touch, where he works with clients on designs and ensures the designs are suitable for their requested production methods. Helping bring clients’ ideas to fruition is what Girouard finds most fulfilling about his role.

He first got into graphic design because it allowed him to pursue multiple interests.

“I’ve always been an artsy and tech-minded kind of person and a bit of a computer nerd, so it seemed like a good hybrid of the two,” he said.

Over the last two decades, aside from new software features making some aspects of the job more efficient, Girouard said the fundamentals of design have stayed the same.

“Not much can be achieved today that that couldn’t be achieved 30 years ago,” he said. “But there have been amazing changes in what can happen to designs once they’re ready for production. That tech is changing daily and it’s been incredible to witness.”