GRCC students, artists, local hip-hop community team up to make change

Since 1993, national organization Camfed (the Campaign for Female Education) has been fighting poverty and AIDS by educating young women in impoverished areas of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana and Malawi, and the upcoming benefit offers Grand Rapids the opportunity to make a difference while enjoying some of the area’s most talented artists and performers.

Three hundred dollars is the cost to send a young girl to school for a year, and all of the money raised through the benefit will be used for school-related costs including uniforms, books, supplies, transportation, exam fees and room and board. To date, over 1.4 million children have been helped by this organization and the goal is to help them touch the lives of even more.

The show’s line-up includes local hip-hop acts Maniacal, Maurice Clark, Trav Waylaa, Venson, March Forth and #LOMOBB with Dean Martian DJ-ing between sets and 61syx Teknique, Michigan’s premiere Bboy crew, will be on deck to offer a little something extra for benefit attendees.

Local artists will be in the building producing live art, followed by a silent auction featuring the work of Reuben Garcia, David Dodde, Carol Woodin, Rebecca Green, Kevin Tyler, Thom Rodemacher, Lindsey Harris, Molly Duff, Georgia Taylor and Thomas Muller.

The benefit begins at 9:00 p.m. and $5 gets you in the door. Billy’s Lounge is located in Eastown at 1437 Wealthy St. For more information on Camfed please visit their website, or follow the organization on Twitter.