(Photo/bigkidzfoundation.org)
A month has passed since the earthquake that devastated the island of Haiti. Big Boi of Outkast teamed up with Atlanta CAREs for the Atlanta Cares for Haiti fundraiser on Monday at the Rare restaurant in midtown. According to a tweet from the rapper himself, and the Big Kidz Foundation Executive Director, the event raised close to $1 million dollars.
Patrons quickly filled the midtown restaurant and gathered at the back room to get a glimpse of Big Boi and his crew. Dancers in pale pink tutus performed pliés alongside Lauri Stallings of GloAtl who produced Big Boi’s hip-hop ballet show, BIG.
Jennifer Lester who serves as the Executive Director of the Big Kidz Foundation said,
“It was very tiring, we worked within 72 hours to put this event together. We got the notice on Thursday [January 14] that Big Boi wanted to stand up on behalf of Atlanta to help the 2 million children being affected by what’s going on in Haiti.”
Adam Hicks, Vice President of Communication and Marketing for Care, shared his thoughts on the event, “It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve seen since I’ve been in Atlanta…Atlanta Cares is a movement we put together with the mayor, the councilmen, and the church leaders around town to generate support for the suffering the people of Haiti. It’s an exciting thing when community leaders can come together around a common cause and make a difference in the world for a place so far away as Haiti.”
The hope for both organizations and individual donors is that the most immediate needs of the Haitian people are being met. The UN News Centre is expressing concern about the island’s current dire agriculture climate. Other questions are being raised about how monies are being applied directly to secure medical care and food.
“Don’t just talk about Haiti this month,” said Big Boi, underscoring that this nation’s rebuilding is in its infancy.
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