A high-minded concert may be a drop in the bucket when it comes to fighting global poverty, but as you know, I’m a believer in the power of “One and one and 50 make a million.”
In May, James C.McKinley Jr. wrote for the NY Times, “When the Global Poverty Project staged a benefit concert with Neil Young, the Black Keys and Foo Fighters in Central Park last fall, skeptics wondered if that nonprofit’s attempt to generate pressure on world leaders to help the poor would fade as soon as the amplifiers and guitars were put away.
“But this week the charity proved it had won converts, at least within the music industry. More than 70 artists, among them Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Bruno Mars, have pledged to give the project two tickets from each of their concerts over the next year, creating a pool of more than 20,000 tickets.
“The tickets will be used as prizes to encourage people to become involved in causes like fighting poverty in the third world, eradicating polio, building schools and ending famine. To win the tickets, fans are asked to earn points by taking action through a related Web site, globalcitizen.org. They can sign petitions, pledge to volunteer their time as aid workers, write elected leaders or donate money to aid organizations.
“‘It provides us with an opportunity to get really powerful activism worldwide,’ said Hugh Evans, the chief executive of the Global Poverty Project.” More.
Do check out a related post from 2011 on a countertenor who runs Artists for a Cause, a collaboration that provides talent for fundraising events — here.
Photo: Julie Glassberg for The New York Times
Neil Young with Crazy Horse performing in Central Park in September 2012 in a benefit concert for the Global Poverty Project.
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