Gospel Music Industry Continues Relief Effort
The GMWA and the UGA have announced their participation in the gospel music industry's efforts to aid victims of Katrina.
Following the recent mobilization of the GMA’s Project Restore, the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) and the Urban Gospel Alliance (UGA) have announced their participation in the gospel music industry’s efforts to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The GMWA, called the world’s largest gospel music association, has issued a national call to its affiliated churches, record companies, recording artists and each of its 200 chapters to organize benefit concerts and events to help raise relief funds, according to a recently released statement.
Members of the GMWA’s Gospel Announcers Guild, which includes more than 800 on-air broadcast personalities and recording industry professionals, will be working to help promote the events, according to GMWA executive vice chairman, Al Hobbs.
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Participating churches have also been asked to designate the fourth Sunday in September (Sept. 25) as Gospel Relief Fund Sunday and to collect a special offering for the relief effort. Proceeds from all events will go to a special fund handled by the National Black United Fund (NBUF).
We all have been affected by this tragedy and we all want to do as much as we can to help, said GMWA chairman, Bishop Albert Jamison.
“Some of our GMWA members have been left homeless and many of us have friends and relatives we have not been able to contact. Our goal is to offer help without regard to church affiliation or city. That’s why we’re asking each chapter to get involved and that’s why we’re partnering with the National Black United Fund to handle collection and distribution of funds for us.”
“We learned during 9/11 and other disasters that the real need goes on for several months, said NBUF executive director William Merritt. “Unfortunately, many of the mainstream agencies do not have a strong network connecting them to urban neighborhoods and the needs of Black victims can’t be addressed as readily as others. We’re pleased to be able to partner with the Gospel Music Workshop of America and other organizations to see that aid targeted to our communities reaches those in greatest need.”
The UGA will also be holding a series of benefit concerts to raise funds for disaster victims.
The concerts will collect clothing, toiletries, water, and non-perishable food items, as well as a monetary donation taken at the door to help with the shipping cost of the items. The donations will be handled by Atlanta-based HolyHipHop.com, who are currently assembling care packages for shipment to survivors of the devastated areas.
“It’s times like these when we must all demonstrate our humanity and help our fellow brothers and sisters in this desperate time of need,” said Abe Manear, Webmaster-HolyHipHop.com/CEO-Full Effects Digital Media. “We will ensure that these items will get directly to the people that need them the most.”
The first concert will be held in Oakland, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2005, with subsequent events in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York.
For more information on these events, go to www.gmwanational.org, www.urbangospelalliance.com.
