Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen said anyone who attends the band's concert in Scranton on Sunday is bound to have a "jolly good time." But he has more to offer.

Allen and his wife, Lauren Monroe, are the founders of the Raven Drum Foundation, an organization that seeks to heal individuals through drumming.

"I'm kind of the inspiration for the foundation itself," he said. "... I'm coming from a place of experience."

Allen was involved in a serious car accident on Dec. 31, 1984, outside his hometown, Sheffield, England. In the accident, he lost his left arm, but he returned to drumming after his recovery.

"It's not something that I had to learn to do, I was thrown into it," he said. "One comment I always get is, 'I don't know what I would have done if I went through what you did.' Well, neither do I, but the logical thing is to help other people who are going through similar things."

At the time, Monroe helped him through the experience, and he was able to recover much easier than he would have otherwise.

She said music was the center of Allen's recovery, and after seeing the benefit it had for them both, they decided to help others.

So they established the foundation in 2001 and have been working with individuals around the world since.

"We developed the foundation around what we began doing," Monroe said. "We work with drums and lead people through healing with guided imagery, breathing, teaching how to relieve stress through acupuncture, stretching. Along with drumming, it turned out to be a powerful experience and gave people a way to balance their lives."

The process is based on a drumming circle, although there are a variety of programs. One is a community drum circle, where everyone is invited and specific rhythms are played. Monroe said the contrast of silence and drum rhythms has an effect on people.

Additional smaller programs are becoming the main focus "” including one working with veterans, active servicemen and women and their families. Even the practitioners who work with the veterans are involved.

Focus on veterans

They have worked with a variety of other individuals as well, such as at-risk teens in penitentiaries and medium-security facilities, cancer patients, women recovering from domestic violence and those with special needs. But they plan to focus more attention on veterans.

"There's such a tremendous need," Monroe said. "With all the amputees coming home, because (Allen) has been through the recovery process and found a unique way to create balance in his life, that's why we're focusing on that."