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My friends planned a happy hour Downtown, and then they were headed to Crescent Ballroom for a concert. I was only supposed to meet them for a happy hour. I’d been working long hours and felt like I hadn’t been home much in weeks, but I remember them trying to convince me to join them at Crescent and explaining the concert wasn’t just a concert. It was a food drive. A local band, The Senators, was giving out their CD for concert goers who brought canned food donations. By my friends' comedic logic, if I didn’t go and support the cause, I was against feeding starving Valley children. That got me – I ended up going and I’m glad I did.
If you have been to a Generation United event, you have probably heard a welcome address about what it means to a member. You might have heard such words like: donate, advocate, volunteer, and connect. Or phrases like: ending hunger and homelessness, and ensuring children and youth succeed, and increasing financial stability. Even though I have been active with Gen U for almost five years, those objectives are a tall order and it can seem pretty time intensive to actually make headway towards achieving them.
That is what is so inspiring about this local band - they are great examples of just how easy it is to be involved with he community and support United Way.
The first time I saw The Senators at Crescent Ballroom, I was impressed that they were so aware of all of the households in Phoenix that experience chronic hunger—82,000, where 1 in four are kids. There they were on stage doing their set, rattling off statics (and accurate statistic at that) to a music hungry crowd.
Go to their website and download the single Hummingbird and part of the proceeds benefit United Way.
On May 9, the band members joined nearly 80 volunteers for a WeekEND Hunger Backpack event. Every month the packs are distributed to local kids who don’t have enough food on their table at home.
Band member’s Jesse and Jason attend an April Gen U networking event so they were mixing and mingling with other philanthropic young professionals about how they are dialed in with the community.
Sometimes, watching how others contribute inspires us to give back, or helps us prioritize time to volunteer.
It is also important to step back and realize that we might be networking and advocating in our everyday lives – when we mention statistics or the impact United Way is making within our community.
The Senators will be returning to the venue where I first saw them, Crescent Ballroom with another band to be announced soon. So keep your eyes on www.genunited.org for details.
Come out to hear some original local music, meet some like minded folks, possibly be as impressed as I was at how much these guys really care about our community, or be inspired to be more involved – in whatever capacity might work for you.
