Fifth Annual Jeffrey Steele & Friends Concert Ready to Rock to Benefit Initiatives for Teens
John Rich, Chuck Wicks and others to perform with Jeffrey Steele and his band March 13 in memory of Steele’s Son Alex LeVasseur
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee presents the fifth annual Jeffrey Steele & Friends benefit concert. The event features Jeffrey Steele and various artists performing in memory of Steele’s late son, Alex LeVasseur, at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tenn., 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 13, 2012.
Artists performing live with Jeffrey Steele and his band include John Rich, Chuck Wicks, James Otto, Pearl Heart, Chris Janson, David St. Romain, Emerson Hart of the band Tonic, Jared Blake from “The Voice,” and others to be announced. Great American Country’s Storme Warren will host the event. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the show starting at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale at www.NowPlayingNashville.com.
A limited number of $1,000 VIP balcony seating packages are available. This includes four seats and a VIP reception, 5:30-6:30 p.m., with wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres from Carrabba’s Italian Grill, and live music by Pearl Heart. General admission tickets are available for $100 and $75. The Franklin Theatre will have food and beverages on sale for attendees.
The event will also feature a live auction, with items including a group wine tasting at Fleming’s with Jimmy Stafford from the Grammy-award winning band Train, an autographed guitar from the 2011 CMA Music Festival, and more.
The event benefits the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund of The Community Foundation and its initiatives to support programs and organizations that aide and impact youth. The Fund’s main focus is providing safe, supportive opportunities for youth with an interest in skateboarding, which was Alex’s passion.
In five years of grantmaking, the Fund has distributed more than $150,000 to organizations. Grants have supported efforts including a skateboarding scholarship program for underprivileged youth, providing mentors and academic goals along with skating opportunities; the redesign and reconstruction of the Brentwood YMCA’s 10-year-old skatepark as the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Skatepark; and more.
This year, the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund has established a new partnership with Clean Break, a program supporting the development of sober communities for young adults on high school and college campuses, by hosting drug-free multiple day events throughout the year. A portion of event proceeds will benefit Clean Break.
Jeffrey Steele and his family created the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund at The Community Foundation after Steele’s 13-year-old son Alex passed away in January 2007, in an ATV accident.
Event sponsors and supporters include BMI, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Suntrust, and 3 Ring Circus Music, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, BMG/Chrysalis, City National Bank, Currin Kozak/Bob Parks Realty, Flemings, Foundations Recovery Network, Dr. Linda Gill, Hot Yoga Nashville, Jana Artesian Water, The Joyce Family, Kudu Energy, John and Cindy Langan, Wendell and Bettina Moore, National Youth Recovery Foundation, Sylvia Roberts, Julie Shirley, Sherwin-Williams, and World Music Nashville.
For Jeffrey Steele and Friends tickets, visit www.NowPlayingNashville.com. For more information on the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund and its initiatives, visit www.rememberalex.com or www.cfmt.org.
About Jeffrey Steele
Among his many accolades over the past few years, Jeffrey Steele has been named BMI Songwriter of the Year (2007 and 2003), and the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Songwriter of the Year (2006, 2005 and 2003). CMA has twice awarded him the coveted “Triple Play Award” for three No. 1 songs in a year (2010 & 2007). His country and A/C mega-hits include a string of chart toppers including: “Knee Deep”, “Here,” “My Wish,” “The Cowboy In Me,” “These Days”, “Everyday”, and the groundbreaking “What Hurts The Most,” nominated for Best Country Song at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Additionally, he has won numerous BMI Country and Pop awards, been named one of billboard magazine’s top 5 writer’s 8 years in a row, as well as Music Row Magazine’s 2006 Songwriter of the Year Award. And now, Jeffrey can add Golden Globe nominee to the list with his nomination for Best Original Song “I Thought I Lost You” for the Disney/Pixar animated feature BOLT, performed by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta.
BMI recently recognized Jeffrey for over 35 million airplays for hits he penned for a multitude of artists including Montgomery Gentry, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, Steve Holy, Phil Vassar, LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts and Van Zant. Jeffrey’s compositions can be found on recent and up and coming releases by Zac Brown Band, Billy Ray Cyrus, Joe Cocker, Gretchen Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Hinder, JaneDear Girls, Joanna Smith, LoCash Cowboys, Danny Gokey, Heidi Newfield, Rascal Flatts and more. For more information, visit www.JeffreySteele.com.
About The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee oversees more than 840 charitable funds, providing customized philanthropic solutions with flexibility for donors, nonprofit organizations and the community. In the past 20 years, The Community Foundation has distributed more than $565 million to community programs and institutions. It is located at 3833 Cleghorn Avenue, #400, Nashville, Tennessee 37215. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit www.cfmt.org.
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