Greenwich, CT - New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band will come to Greenwich, CT on November 16 to perform at a benefit for Fairfield County’s Inner-City Foundation for Charity & Education. The charity’s annual event, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich, provides critical funding for programs serving the neediest people in Fairfield County, and is The Inner-City Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year. This year marks the charity’s 26th annual benefit dinner.
“We are delighted to be presenting the Preservation Hall Jazz Band this year,” says Richard T. Stone, executive director of The Inner-City Foundation. “The majority of our funding comes from this event, and without its proceeds we could not do what we do, which is to provide almost $1 million of crucial funding to local programs providing critical help to the neediest people right here in Fairfield County.”
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band derives its name from Preservation Hall, the venerable music venue located in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter. The band has traveled worldwide spreading their mission to nurture, perpetuate and expand the art form that is New Orleans Jazz. An evolving working band for more than 50 years, they have recorded with musical legends Tom Waits, Pete Seeger and Doctor John, performed sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall with the likes of Allen Toussaint and Steve Earle, and appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Director Ben Jaffe is quick to point out that Preservation Hall – which his parents, Allan and Sandra Jaffe, founded in 1961 – was never meant to be a museum. At its beginnings it broke racial boundaries to present the living legends of New Orleans music, living links to the origins of jazz. Today, with a band whose ages range nearly 60 years, the mission remains the same: to pass on the traditions while continually revitalizing them with new blood and fresh ideas.
“I see it as something that's necessary for the evolution and survival of New Orleans music,” Jaffe says. “Interpreting the repertoire that’s been around for a hundred years is one thing, but the challenge is to keep that repertoire and those traditions alive while at the same time being honest about who you are as a musician, allowing all of your musical influences to be reflected in what you create.”
The Inner-City Foundation expects that the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will render their benefit a hot ticket this fall, and that it will be a boon to their annual fundraising efforts, which is needed now more than ever, according to Stone.
“Although it should be no surprise to anyone that need is up and funding is down given the economy,” says Stone, “people do tend to have a blind spot when it comes to this area. People think of Fairfield County as all very well-off. Which of course it is, but it’s not all gold coast. State and federal budget cuts have had a devastating impact on the most vulnerable members of our community. And the gap is widening — 38% of people who live in Fairfield County are now struggling to make ends meet, either unable to meet the basic cost of living, or living in poverty. Unless increased resources materialize from other places now, such as foundations like ours, a lot of people are going to have nowhere to turn.”
“We do all the legwork so donors don’t have to,” says Stone. “We carefully vet all these organizations to make sure they are efficient and effective, and we look for organizations that are providing not only a safety net but also a springboard to a better future,” he says. “And because of our experience, minimal staff, and dedicated, passionate volunteer board members, we’re highly efficient. Ninety percent, or 90 cents, of every dollar that we raise goes directly to the organizations we support. That’s a good record, and should give people confidence that when they donate to us their money is not only doing good, and staying local, but also going directly to benefit the people they are trying to help.”
The Inner-City Foundation’s 26th annual benefit dinner featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will take place on November 16th at 6 pm the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich. Master story-teller and Greenwich local Bonnie Levison will be the Master of Ceremonies. Mitch Barns, Chief Executive Officer of Nielsen, chairs the Corporate Committee, and Dick and Vilma Matteis chair the Benefit Committee, which is currently in formation and includes: Beth & Peter Barhydt
Ruth & Charles Chiusano, Pamela & Eric Dale, Amy Dana & Joe Profaci, Audrey & Daniel Dornier, Julie & David Genovese, Helen & Dan FitzPatrick, Edna Keleshian, Isabel & Joe Lane, Bonnie Levison, Virginia & John Lyddane, Patricia & Edward McLaughlin, Sue & Bill Mitchell, Mary & Brian Moran, Jane Pelletier, Geri & Jim Roper, Sheryl Shaughnessey, Claudia Steers, Cindy & Rich Stone, Elaine & ChiChi Ubiña, Laura Wack, Maureen & Frank Walsh, Suzan & Ken Wirth, and Stephanie & John Wu.
For tables and tickets to the benefit or to donate, visit The Inner-City Foundation for Charity & Education at innercityfoundation.org, email info@innercityfoundation.org, or call 203.416.1496.
The Inner-City Foundation For Charity & Education is a 501(c)(3) non-sectarian foundation that supports organizations addressing the most basic human needs of Fairfield County residents seeking help. Organizations providing food, clothing, shelter, education and counseling to at-risk and needy families, children and adults of Fairfield County may apply for grants, and will be considered. The Inner-City Foundation seeks to support organizations that provide not only a safety net but also a springboard to a better future for its Fairfield County neighbors most in need, providing not only help but hope. Founded in 1992, the Inner-City Foundation has provided more than $29 million to about 200 local organizations over the last 26 years. For more information about The Inner-City Foundation or to donate visit The Inner-City Foundation for Charity & Education at innercityfoundation.org, email info@innercityfoundation.org, or call 203.416.1496.