To commemorate Black History Month and to celebrate peace during these challenging times, a benefit event that includes music, called Ceeds of Peace: Something Inside So Strong, will be held on Saturday, February 25, at 6 pm at Holman United Methodist Church in association with the Justin Carr Wants World Peace Foundation. The Benefit’s special guest keynote speaker is Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, co-founder of Hawaii-based peacebuilding non-profit, Ceeds of Peace. Promoting peace is also a family trait, as she is the sister of 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner and 44th U.S. President, Barack Obama.
Hosted by acclaimed actress-singer and peace activist, Erica Gimpel (“Fame”, “Profiler”, “The Catch”), this is the 4th Annual Benefit held on behalf of the Justin Carr Wants World Peace Foundation established in honor of Harvard-Westlake athletic and academic standout, Justin Carr, who died from an undetected heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), in 2013 at sixteen, while at his swim team practice (as covered in an Emmy-winning news story on CBS2). The Justin Carr Wants World Peace Foundation (JCWWP) is so named because of a prayer for peace Justin said since he was four. Today, the Foundation not only has an ongoing HCM awareness campaign, but supports programs focused on at-risk/underserved students, such as: JCWWP Enrichment Scholarships for 7th – 12th grade students and the JCWWP Dare 2 Dream Arts & Tutoring Program. In fact, one of the students from the Dare 2 Dream program, Aniya Conner, will sing. Others performing songs of peace and brotherhood include: The Freedom School Choir; revered vocalist, Lura Daniels-Ball; Bravo TV star, LaMont Zeno (The People’s Couch); as well as acclaimed singer-songwriters, Jensen McRae of USC’s Thornton School of Music and Grammy Camp, and Gabrielle Walter-Clay, known as CLAY—both were friends of Justin’s.
Tickets are open to the public, and may be purchased online at jcwwpbenefit.bpt.me, and are $20 for adults and $10 for youth (17 & under). The Benefit’s Diamond Sponsor is world-renown, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and a Media Sponsor is the famed Los Angeles Sentinel. For sponsor inquiries, please call (424) 257-5297.
Holman United Methodist Church is located in the Historic West Adams District at 3320 West Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018, (323) 731-7285. Free parking is available at the church and street parking. For further information or questions, please email [email protected] or call (424) 257- 5297.
