Tribute Concert To Honor Berkshire County Katrina Volunteers
Performance by Ellis Paul to include his new song- Hurricane AngelGreat Barrington — August 29th, 2008 marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Since that day, many Berkshire county residents have contributed their time, skills and resources to the affected Gulf Coast areas. Many, still, are planning to do more.
Among several service trips organized by Berkshire County residents was one which included a crew of twenty five local contractors organized last fall by Massachusetts State Representative Smitty Pignatelli (D.-Lenox). Their willingness to leave their families, jobs and homes; traveling to an unfamiliar place to lend their hands to people they have never met truly made a difference in the lives one family in particular: The Stewart Family, whose home in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward was rebuilt by the Berkshire volunteers in just seven days.
To pay tribute to all those from Berkshire County who have helped rebuild New Orleans and to remind us all that, three years after the levees broke, there is so much rebuilding left to do, Rep. Pignatelli has partnered with Lynnette Najimy, founder and director of Beansprout Productions, Inc. to host a concert event at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts center on August 29, 2008.
Hurricane Angels is an evening of tribute and music honoring those from Berkshire County who have participated in rebuilding efforts in the Crescent City. The event features a concert by Ellis Paul, including a performance of Hurricane Angel; a new song inspired by a Hurricane Katrina survivor as well as a slide show of the rebuilding efforts, interviews with volunteers and a performance by Vikki True.
Stanley Stewart and his wife, Betty, will attend to personally thank Berkshire County volunteers for all they have done to help. Proceeds from the benefit will go to The Hope for Stanley Foundation, founded in honor of Mr. Stewart’s own heroic actions-both during and in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. (www.hopeforstanley.org)
A collection of stories from Berkshire County Katrina volunteers will be available for viewing. Anyone wishing to share their volunteer experience is invited and encouraged to email their story to lynnette@beansproutproductions.org, so that it may be included in the scrapbook.
Tickets to the event are available online at www.mahaiwe.org, by visiting The Mahaiwe Box office at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington, or by calling: 413-528-0100.
