On a cold day in December, I put the word out:
"I intend to start a coat drive. Who wants to team up with me?"
The first person to answer my call to action was a recording artist with a big name and an even bigger heart.
We collaborated and built a team dedicated to producing a month-long coat drive and a benefit concert for Housing Works. It was a success!
The Housing Works team accepted our check and they told me to tell the donors THANK YOU for the coat drive donations. To those who attended the after party and paid for admission rather than donate a coat, please note:
100 percent of the cash proceeds from the concert were given to Housing Works right along with hundreds of coats! Three cheers!
For the original event info, click here.
Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to view the 'Rapture' video created from live footage from the benefit concert!
An unlikely group (including a retailer/creative agency team, an adult-content website owner, an East Village event maven and a Brooklyn-born Emcee) have come together to host a coat drive and concert benefiting HousingWorks.org, a not-for-profit group dedicated to helping people affected by the linked-crises of HIV/AIDS and homelessness.
Cormega Explains More About Housing Works
Although it formally began on February 16th, the biggest day of the coat drive was the final day, February 23rd.
On Wednesday, February 23rd, from 7pm-10pm, the community donated warm outerwear at Coat of Arms (43 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002). Donors received free tickets to the after party, as well as free CDs, event-related t-shirts and other swag (including Frank151 books).
Our in-store event featured an art auction of Brian Kavanagh’s urban photography, food from East Village purveyor Lil Frankie’s, as well as music by the legendary Beatminerz.
The after party (hosted by the lusciously tatted-up LES personality Alexandra Estevez) featured a performance by Cormega, backed by his live band The Revelations.
To watch the music video created during the charity concert, press play below!