About 4,000 music lovers came together for good music, good times and a good cause at Band Together NC's annual charity concert May 12 at Cary's Booth Amphitheatre. Iconic cosmic rockers The-B-52s headlined this year's event, which raised $552,000 for Urban Ministries of Wake County, Band Together's 2012 nonprofit partner.
All proceeds from the May 12 event will go to fund Urban Ministry's Open Door Clinic, which aims to provide physician visits, prescriptions and lab work for many of Wake County's uninsured residents battling poverty.
This year marked record highs for the annual event, which featured headliner The B-52s along with regional favorites Southern Culture on the Skids and BIG Something, winner of Band Together's 2012 Last Band Standing competition. With the latest event, Band Together topped $2 million in funds raised for Triangle area nonprofits and had more than 190 sponsors for this event alone.
The $552,000 raised from the event will help Urban Ministries of Wake County's Open Door Clinic treat an additional 420 new patients over the next two years, providing all physician visits, lab work and prescriptions. In 2011, the Open Door Clinic provided 7,000 medical visits and filled 52,000 prescriptions to Wake County residents in need. The clinic's services help keep patients out of emergency rooms and costly inpatient stays, which can save the community more than $6 million each year.
"Working in partnership with Band Together to raise well over half a million dollars has been an edifying experience," says Anne Burke, executive director for Urban Ministries of Wake County. "We are so appreciative on behalf of our patients and the additional patients we are now able to serve in the Open Door Clinic."
"In Band Together's 10 years, we have been able to raise more than $2 million for Triangle area nonprofits," says Matt Strickland, executive director of Band Together. "We are grateful for the generosity of businesses and individuals in the Triangle. Without their support, this year's record-setting sum would not be possible."
Using the power of live music to impact social change in the community, Band Together raises funds from sponsorships and ticket sales to benefit a different charity partner every year. For more information on next year's event, visit www.bandtogethernc.org.