For many kids, the end of the school year is a time to celebrate, plan summer vacations, and play with friends. But for millions of children, the time away from school means not knowing where their next meal will come from. With the goal of helping ensure more children have enough to eat all year long, ConAgra Foods has partnered with Feeding America to create the Hunger-Free Summer initiative.

Among those supporting the program is 2006 “American Idol” runner-up, Katharine McPhee.

“This summer, I am going to be traveling across the country to Feeding America food banks from Orlando to Los Angeles – to volunteer my time and, more importantly, to raise awareness about this important issue,” said McPhee. “I want to challenge every community to come together to help end child hunger in the United States.”

McPhee is launching Hunger-Free Summer on Wednesday, July 7, with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida in Orlando at New Image Youth Center from 11:30a.m. until 1:00p.m. While at the site, Katharine will be volunteering her time, raising awareness for the cause, and singing with the children served by the center.

Throughout the month of July, McPhee will travel across the country to other Feeding America food banks to raise awareness. Upcoming locations and dates include:

— Irvine, Calif. – Monday, July 12
— Little Rock, Ark. – Wednesday, July 14
— Houston, Texas – Week of July 26

For more information, please visit www.conagrafoodsfoundation.org/summer or http://feedingamerica.org/hungerfreesummer.

Jason Mraz will be performing at the 10th annual Trevor New York Summer Gala on Monday, June 28th. Celebrity guests will include Dustin Lance Black, Mark Consuelos, Ardin Myrin, Ana Ortiz, Kelly Ripa and more. The Trevor Project will also honor actress/singer Vanessa Williams.

The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. For more information, visit TheTrevorProject.org.

Jason Mraz, always a passionate and vocal advocate for national marriage equality, wears the “Fight For Equality” pendant and appears in the “Give A Damn” marriage equality information campaign alongside Elton John, Sharon Osbourne, Anna Paquin and others.

PRNewsFoto/Interscope Records, John Shearer

Now that No Doubt is busy recording their new album, the band has decided to put some costumes and vintage memorabilia to good use by auctioning the items for charity.

The auction will include costumes from No Doubt’s 2009 U.S. tour, instruments they have played on stage and in videos, out of print vinyl, drummer Adrian Young’s old “tuxedo” and other one-of-a-kind items from the No Doubt archives. Says No Doubt front-woman, Gwen Stefani, “The tour last summer was so amazing, it was exactly what we needed to inspire the new record. Now that we’re in the studio we wanted do something special for the fans who did so much for us. It’ll be really fun to share the costumes – they’re wicked. A lot of the stuff was really hard to part with, but the money we’ll be able to raise, together with the fans, will be worth it. These charities need us, badly. It means a lot to us as a band to be able to support all the hard work they do.”

Adds guitar maestro Tom Dumont, “This auction is a really big deal to me personally, because I’m letting go of two really prized, iconic guitars in the hopes of raising as much money as possible for charity. In my history with No Doubt, the guitars I played in our music videos are the rarest and most valuable things I own. Please contact your richest friend’s Dad and tell him please go BIG on these auction items!”

The auction will be live from June 1-11 and 100% of proceeds will be shared between the following four charities.

Animal Acres – a paradise for farmed animals and the people who love them

charity: water – a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

The ALS Association – encourages scientific research to find a cure for ALS (also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”)

Children’s Hospital of Orange County – a regional pediatric health care hospital which provides preventive medical care, education, and state-of-the-art pediatric biomedical research.

To access the auction and take a look at the items up for bid, check out ebay.com/nodoubt

Reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Carrie Underwood and ACM Lifting Lives have committed seed funding to create the new ACM Lifting Lives Temporary Home Fund to support relief efforts for families devastated by the recent floods in Middle Tennessee. The Fund takes its name from Underwood’s co-penned hit song “Temporary Home,” in acknowledgement of the immediate needs surrounding those impacted by the floods.

Donations can be made NOW by texting ACM to 501501 through August 2010. Text donations are confirmed by replying with YES, and can be made up to three times. Donations can also be made online at www.ACMliftinglives.org and at www.CBS.com/give. For information on the funding application process, visit www.cfmt.org.

“ACM Lifting Lives received funds from the taping of the Brooks & Dunn special seven days ago, and as a nimble organization, we are eager to immediately give back to the communities in Middle Tennessee that were hit hardest,” said Erin Spahn, Director of ACM Lifting Lives. “In addition, we approached Carrie about how she wanted to use the grants she would receive as our 2009 Entertainer of the Year, and she leapt at the chance to help people in need of shelter. Our goals fit perfectly, and the Temporary Home Fund was created.”

“Last year, I partnered with ACM Lifting Lives to help people in my hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma. Now I’m happy that we can help people in my current home of Nashville,” said Carrie Underwood.

A text-to-donate campaign in partnership with The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee officially launches today and will be highlighted during this weekend’s ACM PRESENTS: BROOKS & DUNN – THE LAST RODEO all-star concert tribute airing Sunday, May 23rd at 8PM on the CBS Television Network. Ticket proceeds from that taping in Las Vegas went to ACM Lifting Lives, which in turn quickly earmarked funding for those affected by the recent floods in Middle Tennessee. This is the second disbursement from that event’s fundraising efforts.

Underwood’s taped PSA call-to-action will be inserted into ACM PRESENTS: BROOKS & DUNN – THE LAST RODEO and will encourage viewers to text ACM to 501501 to make a one-time $10 donation to the new ACM Lifting Lives Temporary Home Fund. These donations will benefit The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and are earmarked specifically for nonprofits serving those displaced from their homes due to floods.

The ACM Lifting Lives Temporary Home will be administered in part by MusiCares and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, to help ensure that people in need of temporary housing will have the support of nonprofits able to help.

Last night during a celebrity charity telethon for flood flood relief in Nashville, country star Brad Paisley donated $100,000.

To kick off the telethon, Paisley sang his track “Welcome To The Future”, before announcing, “I think it’s time to start things off with a donation. We’re going to donate $100,000.”

Brad Paisley wasn’t the only star present. Keith Urban, Kellie Pickler, Sheryl Crow, and Lady Antebellum performed last night as well.

The country stars helped raise over $1.5 million dollars for the flood relief, but no one has matched Taylor Swift’s massive donation of $500,000 that she gave a week or so ago.

Grammy winner Taylor Swift is donating $500,000 to various organizations involved in Nashville’s flood relief efforts. Taylor moved to Nashville when she was 14 years old and she understands the severity of the flooding and she wants to help in any way she can. Taylor announced her donation Thursday night following Vince Gill’s telethon to raise money for all the victims of the disaster.

“Being at home during the storm, I honestly could not believe what was happening to the city and the people I love so dearly,” Swift told The Associated Press in an e-mail. “Nashville is my home, and the reason why I get to do what I love. I have always been proud to be a Nashvillian, but especially now, seeing the love that runs through this city when there are people in crisis.”

In response to the devastating floods that have plagued the City of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, CMA has announced that 50 percent of the net proceeds of 2010 CMA Music Festival will be donated to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for flood relief. This is in addition to CMA’s already established annual donation of 50 percent of the net proceeds to Metro Nashville Public Schools for music education through the Keep the Music Playing program. In total, 100 percent of the net proceeds of the event will be given to benefit Nashville’s public school students and Middle Tennessee families in need.

CMA Music Festival is Nashville’s signature music event, drawing 56,000 people from the region as well as every state in the nation and visitors from 26 countries around the globe, while bringing in more than $22 million in direct visitor spending to the local economy.

“This year with all the downtown businesses as well as our tourism industry suffering huge losses due to flood damage, it is vitally important to the Nashville business community that CMA Music Festival continues as planned,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chairman of the Board. “CMA is proud to step up and help our area by donating half of the CMA Music Festival’s net proceeds to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help its flood relief efforts while we continue our important commitment to children and music education.”

“CMA has always been a great supporter of Music City through the Association’s Keep the Music Playing initiative,” said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. “This added contribution to aid in flood recovery efforts will be incredibly helpful and demonstrates the great partnership that exists between the City of Nashville, CMA Music Festival, and the Country Music industry.”

“Millions of lives have been affected by this disaster. While some will recover quickly, others will take months or years to rebuild, and The Community Foundation’s disaster funds will continue to strategically address needs as they emerge and evolve,” said Ellen Lehman, President of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. “It has been incredible to see this community’s outpouring of generosity, and we are thrilled, but not surprised, to see CMA join in leading the efforts to help this city rebuild.”

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has activated its Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management to support relief efforts. Grants from the fund will be made to nonprofits supporting relief, restoration, and clean-up efforts in the Davidson County area.

Ke$ha has announced that she will be performing at a flood benefit concert in Nashville on June 16th. All profits will go to help family and animals affected by the flood.

Ke$ha said:

“I’m thrilled to announce that I will be playing a show to help benefit Nashville, my hometown. 100% of the profits from ticket sales will go to help the victims of these devastating floods. Nashville helped shape me as an artist and as a person and my love for this city is beyond words. I will continue to do anything I can to help rebuild this city and support the families and animals who have been affected by this tragedy.”

Fans can even pay $100 for a meet and greet with her. It’s for a great cause, do it!

Yesterday Ke$ha tweeted the following picture and message:

Getting food fur the homeless pups of nashville! Plleeeeze help nashvegas recover its very hard here for so many people

]]> http://www.imusicdaily.com/music-news/keha-to-donate-concert-profits-to-help-benefit-nashville/feed/ 0 http://www.imusicdaily.com/music-news/nick-jonas-and-bayer-diabetes-care-announce-give-back-simply-win/ http://www.imusicdaily.com/music-news/nick-jonas-and-bayer-diabetes-care-announce-give-back-simply-win/#comments Tue, 04 May 2010 15:52:34 +0000 imusicdaily http://www.imusicdaily.com/?p=7896

(PRNewsFoto/Bayer Diabetes Care)

We love hearing about celebrities who are making a difference!

A new contest, “Give Back. Simply Win.” sponsored by Bayer Diabetes Care will shine a spotlight on people with diabetes who are making a difference in their local communities. Three grand prize winners will meet international singing sensation Nick Jonas and Bayer will donate $5,000 to three not-for-profit charitable causes, one selected by each winner.

Bayer’s “Give Back. Simply Win.” contest was designed to reward people with diabetes for their charitable efforts. Entering the contest is simple; it is open to people with diabetes in three age categories: 6 to 12, 13 to 17 and 18+ years. Contestants can visit www.NicksSimpleWins.com and answer three questions about their charitable efforts. Nick and a team of judges will select one grand prize winner from each of the three age categories. The contest begins today and entries will be accepted until August 5, 2010.

Nick Jonas, now 17, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 13. Since he publicly announced his diagnosis, he has become widely recognized not only for his musical talents, but also for his efforts to inspire people with diabetes and give back to fans that inspire him. Nick knows how important good diabetes management is and one of the ways he spreads that message is through his partnership with Bayer Diabetes Care.

“One of the things we’ve been so impressed with is how much people with diabetes are doing for their communities,” said Nick. “Bayer and I hope that through this contest we can call attention to them and thank people with diabetes who support and inspire others, whether it be through volunteering or fundraising.”
Since Bayer Diabetes Care and Nick joined forces in 2008 they have worked together to encourage people with diabetes to achieve Simple Wins, or small, everyday victories. One of Nick’s Simple Wins is being able to give back to people with diabetes, which he does through The Jonas Brothers Change for the Children Foundation. Nick uses Bayer’s new CONTOUR® USB meter and is a paid spokesperson for Bayer Diabetes Care. Nick shares his personal experiences with diabetes on www.NicksSimpleWins.com where he writes blog posts of his latest activities.

Bayer’s “Give Back. Simply Win.” Contest Rules:
The contest is open to eligible U.S. residents ages 6 and up who have been diagnosed with diabetes. Restrictions and limitations apply. Only online entries via www.NicksSimpleWins.com will be accepted. All finalists will be required to provide a letter from a physician confirming winner’s diagnosis of diabetes. Grand prize winners will be notified on or about September 1, 2010.

For more information on the official rules and regulations, grand prize information and contest submission guidelines, visit www.NicksSimpleWins.com.

]]> http://www.imusicdaily.com/music-news/nick-jonas-and-bayer-diabetes-care-announce-give-back-simply-win/feed/ 0 http://www.imusicdaily.com/music-news/pink-performs-with-linda-perry-at-the-beverly-hilton/ http://www.imusicdaily.com/music-news/pink-performs-with-linda-perry-at-the-beverly-hilton/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 07:46:40 +0000 iMusicDaily http://www.imusicdaily.com/?p=7873

At the annual Evening With Women event in Los Angeles Saturday night, Linda Perry and Pink did a surprise performance of the hit song, “What’s Up?” A.K.A. “What’s Going On?”

We happened to be there and let me tell you, Pink brought the crowd to their feet with her powerful and moving performance. Prior to the performance Pink appeared onstage during the live auction sitting atop a Vespa that sold for $12,000. Pink let the winning bidder sit on the bike with her and be photographed with the singer who had a lit cigarette in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.

In the past few years it has been known that there was some friction between Pink and Linda Perry but they squashed those rumors last night and it was quite obvious they are friends.

An Evening With Women is an annual benefit to raise money for the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center.

Check out the video below.

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