Morrisania Band Project is hosting a concert to spread awareness in June 2017, in partnership with Queens Sickle Cell Advocacy Network. The goal is to contribute to a culture of health in Morrisania.
Leader
Elissa Carmona
Location
Morrisiana Bronx, NY 10456
Morrisania Band Project (MBP) creates a platform for musicians to add vibrancy to the South Bronx's Morrisania neighborhood through social initiatives and community engagement.
MBP is hosting a benefit concert to raise support and awareness for sickle cell disease, on Saturday, June 3, 2017. The goal is to empower neighborhood residents, and connect them to resources that will improve the quality of their lives. Our partner for this event will be Queens Sickle Cell Advocacy Network (QSCAN), from the New York chapter of the National Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.
Presently, Morrisania has limited support and social services for individuals and families affected by sickle cell disease other than clinic and emergency room visits. Bronx Lebanon Hospital previously provided these types of services, but closed in 2015 due to lack of funding. A portion of our Healthy Neighborhoods project is to raise funding for the expenses of the concert, such as renting space, paying performers and guest speakers, catering, and promotion. The remainder along with proceeds from concert tickets will help start a neighborhood support group, with assistance from QSCAN and local Bronx agencies. In addition to raising awareness and support for sickle cell disease, this concert will build a sense of community by bringing us together to contribute to a culture of health.
MBP will partner with QSCAN to host the benefit concert on June 3, 2017. Other steps will include:
Fundraising – Two leading nonprofit executives will assist with fundraising through the Healthy Neighborhoods Challenge and other channels.
Promotion – MBP and QSCAN will promote the event on its websites, social media, and flyers, and also at community board meetings.
Finding a venue for 100 (or more) attendees – MBP has an ongoing supportive relation with the DreamYard Project, one of the largest arts provider in the Bronx. The concert could likely be held there.
Developing additional community support – Ongoing support groups and social services are vital for people diagnosed with sickle cell disease. Claremont Neighborhood Center, located in Morrisania, is interested in participating. Montefiore Medical Center, a Bronx teaching hospital with multiple clinics in Morrisania is another resource we’re hoping to connect with.
MBP is taking the initiative to get involved because many of us are known in Morrisania, and have a vested interest in using music to spread awareness to the public. More than half of us have loved ones suffering from this deadly disease, but nothing is being done on a community-level. We believe a benefit concert would grab the public’s attention, and get the ball rolling on developing support and resources for people affected by sickle cell disease. MBP's founder collaborated with QSCAN in 2014 for a community walk in Crotona Park, and over 80 residents participated.
An inherited trait that affects 3.2 million people worldwide, the CDC reported close to 9,000 people living with sickle cell disease in NYC in 2008; 40% were younger than 21 years of age. An estimate of undiagnosed and untreated cases can't be measured, as many people carry the trait and aren’t even aware.