Proceeds from Prince’s “Rally 4 Peace” concert will help the youth and the City of Baltimore. via press release… Proceeds from Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL’s May 10 RALLY 4 PEACE concert at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, will be donated to the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) to help Baltimore youth. Additionally, funds will go to the City of Baltimore’s YouthWorks Program, through the Baltimore City Foundation. Proceeds will also go to support OneBaltimore. The NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) NAACP-ACT-SO is a yearlong achievement program. It is designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. ACT-SO provides a forum through which youth of African descent demonstrate academic, artistic, leadership and scientific prowess and expertise. They thereby gain the same recognition often only reserved for entertainers and athletes. “We are tremendously grateful for Prince’s thoughtful and benevolent gift,” said Larry Brown, Jr., National Director, NAACP ACT-SO. “We continue to applaud and uplift his desire for change, justice and peace in our communities. The momentous RALLY 4 PEACE in Baltimore marked the resurgence of a movement that unites arts and activism. ACT-SO is the greatest opportunity for youth to engage and pursue their scholastic and cultural dreams, and ultimately change the world.” In the wake of the recent painful events that occurred in Baltimore City, OneBaltimore #OneBaltimore was established to assist residents in need. Through collaborative efforts, leaders and community organizations are teaming up together to strengthen neighborhoods and restore damaged businesses and homes. The work of OneBaltimore begins with expanding opportunity – not in some vague sense, but through aggressive partnerships between the public and private sectors to create jobs that will allow more citizens, students and disconnected youth to find temporary or permanent employment. “On behalf of the Baltimore community, we are obviously very grateful to Prince for the extraordinary concert and his philanthropy, but we are especially grateful for his humanity and demonstration of care for all people,” said Michael Cryor, Chair, OneBaltimore. “While we all would have preferred not to experience the period of unrest, we also know that pain and despair do not conform to etiquette. It is the truth of our moment. We pray for the wisdom and the courage not to run from the tension. OneBaltimore commits to making footprints that lead to sustainable change for the people of our City. Prince has helped us to move one step closer.” YouthWorks is the Baltimore City’s summer jobs program, which places young people age 14-21 in summer work experiences throughout Baltimore. The Baltimore City Foundation enables the Baltimore City government to raise philanthropic resources that promote many of its health and human services priorities. Additionally, the Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations that support youth and underprivileged Baltimore City residents. The Foundation committed to enhancing the quality of life for the citizens of Baltimore City. The RALLY 4 PEACE concert was held in the spirit of healing. It was a massive hug for the city of Baltimore and it’s people from the entertainer who was deeply moved by the recent tragedy and the outcry that followed. The event was a catalyst for pause and reflection following the outpouring of violence that has gripped Baltimore and areas throughout the US. Photo credit: ETOnline.com
