Everyone is volunteering to help flood victims. Distributing water. Donating clothing. Donating money. Helping people rip out things from their flooded homes. Opening homes to strangers in need of a place to stay…
I wanted to find a place to help out, preferably somewhere that would allow me to use my talents.
A friend posted on her Facebook page that she was starting work to plan a benefit concert to raise money to help flood victims. I’d worked with the friend before on fundraisers, and I definitely wanted to help her again.
So last Wednesday, eight of us gathered in a house in Nashville to plan out this benefit concert that my friend had already set far into motion. Dividing up the work, bouncing ideas off one another. Some good ideas. Some not so good ideas. But by the end of the night, we had a solid game plan formed.
On May 17th, music fans are encouraged to join us at Limelight in downtown Nashville for a night of great music, good times, and a chance to raise money for several great organizations who are working hard to help flood victims.
Our lineup includes performances by:Â Rick Huckaby, Glen Templeton, Melanie Martel, Jared Ashley, Chad Warrix, Jeremy McComb, Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann, Billy Dean, Lee Roy Parnell, Joe Diffie
Doors will open at 5:00 pm, and the music starts at 5:30. A $10 donation will be taken at the door to benefit the Nashville Red Cross. Silent Auction (which includes donated items from the Nashville Predators, Tennessee Titans, Marriott, area salons, Atlanta Braves, area restaurants, George Strait autographed guitar, and much more) and sale of t-shirts and koozies to benefit Salvation Army, Nashville Humane Association, and Happy Tails Humane.
In addition to the donations and the sale of shirts, etc. we will be taking item donations for all the organizations. The needs of each are as follows:
Nashville Humane Association is asking for:
- Dry Dog Food and Cat Food
- Small Size, Joy or Dawn Dish Liquid
- Kitten Food
- Puppy Food
- Cat Litter and Litter Pans
- Animal Toys
- Food Bowls
- Leashes, Collars
- Carriers/Kennels
Salvation Army is asking guests to bring:
- Cases of Bottled Water
- NEW socks, underwear, and t-shirts
- Hygiene kits
- Supplies for clean-up kits which include: mop, broom, work gloves, mask, sponge, rubber gloves, bleach, all-purpose cleaner, trash bags, and paper towels
Happy Tails is asking guests to bring:
- small blankets for crates
- Pillow Cases
- Towels
As many know, the music community was hit hard by this flood, just as many families. Millions of dollars in gear were lost when Soundcheck, where many musicians store their gear, was among the businesses underwater. The photos and stories coming out of there are heartbreaking, and they personally make my stomach turn. Unfortunately, many of the musicians did not carry insurance on their gear, and are left with no where to turn.
At this benefit, 5% of all bar sales will benefit musicians affected by the flooding of Soundcheck storage facility.
We encourage everyone to come out and show their support.
To anyone outside of Nashville wishing to support the cause, you may have heard you can text “REDCROSS†to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross. However, perhaps you are like me… I can’t do $10 more on my cell phone bill. It’s a budget thing for me. I know what my bill is going to be, and when it wavers… it throws me off big time. But, I can donate otherwise! (Or perhaps $10 just isn’t in your budget, but you can do $5. Or $10 isn’t as much as you want to donate, and texting 10 times to donate $100 is just a pain.)
We have set up a Post Office box to accept donations for our charties. Pick one of our charities you’d like to support (Nashville Red Cross, Salvation Army, Nashville Humane Association, or Happy Tails Humane) and mail a check in THE CHARITY’S NAME to:
BANDing TOGETHER
P.O. Box 23474
Nashville, TN 37202-3474
I assure you, none of the donated money will go anywhere other than the charity you make your check out to… these will be delivered directly to charity. For any new information as it becomes available, visit our Facebook event page, and please spread the word! It’ll be one AMAZING night.
If you don’t know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month you’ve either just not been paying attention or you’ve just not been paying attention. Everywhere I look these days, I see pink as, thankfully, these days Breast Cancer Awareness is at the forefront of our media.
My hat’s off to the men and women of the American Cancer Society who do so much for those diagnosed with all forms of cancer, and for their families.
