Chicagoland’s faith community and others continue their outpouring of relief support for the victims of the destructive Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti’s capital city of Port-Au-Prince.
Chicagoland’s faith community and others continue their outpouring of relief support for the victims of the destructive Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti’s capital city of Port-Au-Prince. Monday, the House of Hope church will transform into a venue of support and outreach as big names in gospel, hip hop, jazz and R&B come together, along with local and state elected officials, to host the Chicago’s Hopes for Haiti benefit concert for the ravaged Caribbean city. Spearheaded by Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Charles Jenkins, the concert and telethon will feature performances by rapper Common, gospel greats Donald Lawrence, Marvin Sapp, Karen Clark Sheard, Bobby Jones and John P. Key. Also on the lineup is Lalah Hathaway, comedian George Wilborn, poet J. Ivy, Tarrey Torae and jazz saxophonist Steve Cole. Admission is free for the event but seating at the 10,000-plus-seat venue will be limited. Doors open at 6 p.m. “I woke up early (one) morning and said to myself, I’ve heard what the NFL, the NBA and what the government is doing for Haiti but I haven’t heard anything about what the church community is doing,” Jenkins said of the idea to organize the benefit. “I saw the need to have every part of the Chicago community come together for this tragedy.” The concert, also a telethon, will be aired live on WJYS from church, located at 752 E. 114th St. The proceeds of the concert will go directly to Yele Haiti (www.yele.org), Samaritan’s Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org) and Hospitals for Humanity (www.hospitalsforhumanity.org). All organizations are currently on the ground in Haiti, providing immediate relief (ranging from food and water to medical care) to the survivors of this horrific earthquake. Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender