Acouple of years ago, as a performer at Ellsworth’s annual Cowtown Days, singer Jake Gill met several of the people in service at Mosaic, an organization devoted to developmentally disabled adults.

“I just fell in love with the people there,” Gill said this past week in a telephone interview with the I-R. “Since then, we’ve stayed in constant touch over social media.”

His commitment to the people in service at Mosaic will go a step further this month when Gill returns to Ellsworth Feb. 13 to perform at the Performing Arts Center at Ellsworth Junior/Senior High School.

The concert will be free; however, donations will be accepted to assist Mosaic, whose mission is to create new social, volunteer and employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities who desire greater independent and closer ties to the community. The concert starts at 7 p.m. Gill said the event is one in a series of non-profit concerts that are part of his Maverick In Me Tour. He also is scheduled to perform Feb. 15 at Emporia and Feb. 22 at Pratt. [Maverick In Me is the title of the fifth studio album Gill has recorded.] In more than two years, Gill’s music has raised tens of thousands of dollars for non-profit organizations around the world. Gill said he is looking forward to being in Ellsworth again. “Ellsworth is a great location just based on past support,” he said. Gill is a Kansan by birth. He was raised at Sylvia, a small town near Hutchinson. “Anybody who grew up in Sylvia pretty much farmed,” he said. Gill’s music reflects his upbringing. The lyrics to as of yet unnamed song go like this: “I come from a long line of believers, farmers, ranchers, Sunday School teachers. I got Bible in my blood and wheat seed in our mud.” Another song, “John Deere Rockstar” honors the American farmer. Michael Martinez, a Mosaic official, said his organization is not involved with the concert. But he is pleased with Gill’s efforts to bring attention and resources. He said Mosaic’s people in service have a longstanding relationship with Gill, who staged a private concert this past July for Mosaic individuals and their families. He also performed at Wilson as part of activities centered around an overnight stop of Biking Across Kansas. Martinez said it all goes back to Gill’s appearance at Cowtown. “The individuals were so excited about it, they sent a thank you note,” he said. “I guess this is just his way of giving back to the organization.”