Thursday 17 May 2012

SU MO TU WE TH FR SA
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
  • All Events
  • Community Center
  • Church

News, Events, & Recent Headlines

June 3 Concert and Celebration to Benefit Tornado Victims; Thank First Responders and Volunteers and Celebrate the Raleigh Spirit

Beyond the Bell
Quarterly Newsletter

Beyond the Bell

Take a minute to read through the current issue of our quarterly Beyond the Bell newsletter to see what we are up to and how you can help.

All newsletter issues are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Make sure you have the latest version of Acrobat Reader to view our newsletters.

If you are not yet receiving Beyond the Bell, you can sign-up for it below.

< Return to Calendar & News

Mayor Exhorts: 'Rise Up Raleigh'

June 3 Concert and Celebration to Benefit Tornado Victims; Thank First Responders and Volunteers and Celebrate the Raleigh Spirit

Raleigh is ready to rise up together – from the stymied economy and from the devastation of tornadoes – toward an even more promising future. That is what “Rise Up Raleigh” on June 3 at the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater is all about, Mayor Charles Meeker announced today.

           “Rise Up Raleigh” will feature concerts from 11 terrific bands at the amphitheater as well as street performers and vendors along the blocks leading to and from the facility at Lenoir and Cabarrus streets.

The mayor said the purposes of the event are to:

  • raise funds for Raleigh’s worst-hit victims of the April 16 tornados;
  • shout-out a great big “thank you” to the First Responders and volunteers who saved many lives and helped put back the pieces of many, many more; and,
  • celebrate the Raleigh spirit of optimism and community togetherness that will make this an even greater place to call home.   

           The City is coordinating the event. Mayor Meeker said that the generosity of the performing bands and corporate sponsors will assure that all of the proceeds from the event are given to local charities dedicated to serving the needs of Raleigh’s tornado victims. A total of 138 Raleigh homes were destroyed in the storms and nearly 700 homes sustained major damage. The Capital City suffered more than $115 million in residential and commercial structural damage.

           Mayor Meeker said the event’s sponsors are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the Carolina Hurricanes and Rex Healthcare. Several media outlets have signed on to promote the event for free.    

           The charities that will receive the proceeds from the concert are the Salvation Army of Wake County, Centro International de Raleigh, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and Help hands Mission. The United Way of the Greater Triangle is processing the donations and is not charging an administrative fee for doing so. 

           Donations to the concert that will begin at 5 p.m. and rock to 11 p.m. will be accepted at the gate.  The Mayor encouraged residents who may be unable to attend the event to send their donations to www.unitedwaytriangle.org/tornado or www.riseupraleigh.com.

           Mayor Meeker said that the event is growing and to visit riseupraleigh.com to stay current on all the fun that will be offered.

 About the Charities

           “We will make it a priority to see people through the long-term restoration of this storm;” said Paige Bagwell, director of Operations and Communications for the Salvation Army of Wake County, “assisting with rent payments, utilities, repair bills and finding homes and safe places for their families to get back on their feet.” 

          Melissa Wajnert Hartzell of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle said: “With tornado-relief donations, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle will continue distributing food to people once living in areas hardest hit by the tornadoes through direct food distribution (boxes of food for families), free mobile markets, and increased delivery of food to partner agencies and programs (shelters, pantries, etc.).

           Jenni Faison of Centro International de Raleigh said that the donations the organization will receive from the benefit concert will be used to rebuild, refurnish and re-establish the residents of the Stony Brook Community where four children lost their lives and many homes were destroyed. “In addition, the funds will allow families to get their basic needs met such as medical, legal and employment, thereby returning them to the balanced lives they had before the tornado.”

           Sylvia Wiggins of the Helping Hands Mission said the agency will use 100 percent of the funds to help the tornado victims in this area. “The monies will be used to pick up and deliver food to families and to provide clothing, toiletries and cleaning supplies to families,” she said. “The mission will also pick up furniture donated to this cause and deliver and help set-up beds for children. 

           “The mission also will maintain contact with the families to make sure they are not left behind in the process,” Ms. Wiggins said. “We also will help provide transportation to families that have no other form of transportation.”

 About the Entertainment

           Mayor Meeker said that the 11 bands eagerly accepted the opportunity to be part of Rise Up Raleigh and are proud to play the fund- and spirit-raising benefit free of charge.  Some of the bands include:

 Red Sonja Band;

  • Aunt Martha;
  • Motor Skills;
  • Young Cardinals;
  • Kooley High;
  • The Small Ponds;
  • Marcy Playground;
  • The Love Language; and,
  • The Connells.

           The Mayor said that the City also is throwing an area-wide casting call for street performers to enliven the streets surrounding the amphitheater and offer a joyful display of the diverse, spirited, eclectic and optimistic nature that is Raleigh. 

           The call covers the panoply of street performers from jugglers, to mimes, to animal tricks, to dancers, to whatever makes you smile.  Those wishing to participate are asked to complete the form found at riseupraleigh.com. The form must be completed and returned by May 27.

 

# # # # # # #