Sisters decide Bieber guitar is meant for charity





In the words of two St. Catharines teenagers, "never say never."

Sometimes the stars align in your favour, even with singing phenomenon Justin Bieber.

After an epic quest for tickets, sisters Kelsee Casagrande and Alexx Mowbray emerged victorious and got into Bieber's Dec. 21 "Home for the Holidays" concert in Toronto's Massey Hall.

A series of events saw Alexx invited on stage to sing with Bieber — arguably the planet's most popular male singer and a teen heartthrob.

Too top it off, the celebrity gave her an autographed guitar the sisters have decided to sell for charity.

In an interview inside their Merritton home, the two say the whole thing feels surreal.

"So many memories," said Alexx, 14. "It was just a life-changing experience."

It started when the two entered a series of online contests to try to get into Bieber's high-profile, televised event.

After online tickets sold out in minutes, they took the bus to Toronto the night before the concert, in hopes of scoring tickets there.

They walked to Massey Hall, and joined an exuberant morning lineup of people seeking last-minute seats.

"Outside, there were reporters everywhere," said Alexx.

"People were screaming. crying. We started a bunch of chants."

After missing out on a chance for free passes, they finally scored a couple of seats in an area blocked off by a stage Christmas tree.

While inside, sympathetic security guards gave the two wristbands and ushered them to the stage area.

"Then he sang Never Say Never," said Alexx, practically shuddering with the memory. "He asked for a girl to come on stage."

That's when Kelsee gave Alexx an enthusiastic point.

"I was like 'hey, Alexx over here,'" said Kelsee, 19.

"And Justin said 'OK come up here' and my heart dropped," said Alexx. "He pulled me to the stage, led me to his stool.

"We sang the rap part together and I did most of it," said Alexx with a laugh. "He finished the song, he was singing to me and holding my hand."

"He gave me a hug."

That's when Bieber pulled out a signed Epiphone acoustic guitar and handed it to her.

The two were swarmed afterward, with cameras flashing around them. They hung on tight to the instrument and took it home with them, in a buzz of joy.

The girls decided quickly to sell it off for charity: "There's people less fortunate than us that need it more than we do," Alexx explained.

Funds raised will be earmarked for Bieber's Believe charity drive— more particularly, to Make-a-Wish Foundation and Pencils of Promise, which helps build schools and train young leaders in developing countries.

Money will also go to Sick Kids' Hospital in Toronto and a food bank in Bieber's hometown of Stratford, Ont.

The two say they've been in discussion with Ellen Degeneres's talk show, and Bieber's management team about helping promote the sale.

If that falls short, they'll likely auction it off on eBay and hope to raise thousands of dollars in the effort.

"We'd like to sell it for a good chunk of money," said Kelsee. "It's a one of a kind, signed and it's (labeled with) Under the Mistletoe, too."

Meanwhile, they're chronicling the effort on several Twitter sites, including @AlexxMobraay (a spelling different than her name) and @kelseecasagrand

They're also promoting it through Twitter with the hashtag #ProjectBelieve — the name they've coined for their effort.

Kim Mowbray, mom to Alexx, is deeply impressed by what the two are doing.

"I thought Alexx would want to keep it forever," she said with a laugh.

"They want to give a little back to charity, and it makes me very proud."

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