AARON LEWIS ANNOUNCES SECOND ANNUAL IT TAKES A COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BENEFIT CONCERT
Singer/songwriter/guitarist AARON LEWIS has announced the dates and lineup for the second annual “IT TAKES A COMMUNITY FOUNDATION” benefit concert. The two-day event will take place Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20 at The Pines Theater at Look Park in Northampton, MA. Friday’s show will feature country music performances from Rhett Akins, Frank Hannon (of Tesla) and Alexa Carter, while Saturday brings rock with Tesla, Corey Taylor (of Slipknot and Stone Sour), Lo-Pro and Otan Vargas. LEWIS will perform at both shows. Single-day tickets range from $45-$78beginning Friday, June 24 and VIP meet & greet packages are also available at www.dysfunctionalstaind.com. All proceeds from the show will go directly to IT TAKES A COMMUNITY.
IT TAKES A COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, a 501c3 non-for-profit, was founded by STAIND frontman AARON LEWIS–whose debut solo CD TOWN LINE recently entered the Billboard Country Albums Chart at #1–and his wife Vanessa. The charity’s focus is reviving rural communities throughout the greater New England area. The charity works with local leaders and community organizations who have firsthand knowledge of the needs of their communities. It strives to raise funds andsupport these community groups who strengthen, engage and enrich the communities they are in, sustain diminishing public services, and provide assistance to communities in crisis. They work to unite resources and ideas to help people and communities create a better tomorrow.
The idea to start a charity came to LEWIS as a result of his local school district closing three of the five elementary schools in the area due to budget cuts. He decided to take action the best way he knew how: by hitting the road and performing. LEWIStook the money he personally earned from his performances as well as profits from the first benefit concert held on August 14, 2010 and opened the private R.H. Conwell Education Center. The foundation funded everything from desks, books and school supplies to the teachers’ salaries.
“My family has been directly affected by school closures in our rural area due to state budget cuts,” LEWIS has said. “We have seen firsthand the necessity for smaller communities to have a voice and to determine their own local needs and priorities. Our foundation strives to do just that–to build a collective of local community members and empower them to take charge of their own community’s future.”
To learn more about “IT TAKES A COMMUNITY” and view clips from last year’s benefit visit: http://tiny.cc/itacvideo. If you’re unable to attend the show but would still like to contribute, visit: http://www.conwellcec.org/.
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