Rural Action, a local nonprofit organization that promotes environmental, economic and social justice in Appalachian Ohio, will host two back-to-back benefit concerts this weekend.
Bram Riddlebarger & His Lonesome Band, Casual Future and Beard of the See play at 10 tonight at Jackie O's.
Friday's fundraiser, at 10 p.m. at Casa Cantina, is a singer/songwriter night featuring performances by Chris Tomazic, Andrew Wieland, JJ Reed, Chris Biester, Liz Pahl, Nate LaRue and Maceo Gabbard.
Benefit concerts are an easy way for people to contribute to a cause they care about
but they also get something out of it themselves said Tori Patterson, an AmeriCorps volunteer leader at the organization's main office in Trimble.
This is the first group of (concerts) we've had in a couple (of) years said Mike Presutti, another AmeriCorps volunteer charged with Rural Action's graphic design.
Presutti organized three concerts in Athens within a month with an overall fundraising goal of $1,000 to go toward covering Rural Action's operational expenses.
We don't want to ask the same people for money over and over again
so we try to reach out to different segments of the community
said Patterson, who added that, after Rural Action's hiatus in the music scene, now it's a new group of OU students who can get involved and learn about Rural Action.
The first of the three concerts, held at the Union on Sept. 7, brought in $350. Presutti, a guitarist and vocalist, played with The Snails at that show and will perform with Beard of the See at tonight's concert.
I've played in bands for a long time
so it's a resource I've had and I'm now utilizing
Presutti said. Musicians are pretty easy going
and people have been more than willing to donate their time.
Patterson said the concert is also a good way to raise awareness of Rural Action's mission and generate new volunteers.
Though the group lacks pre-existing positions, Patterson said, people can share what they're interested in
and we develop help around that.
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