Troy Teen Organizes Charity Concert Featuring YouTube Sensation
TROY -- While most college freshmen are consumed with finals, selling back books and holiday plans, Morgan Fisher, 18, has added feeding and educating children in Africa to her end of semester to do list -- by coordinating a massive Bands That JAM 4 Africa benefit concert to raise money to feed and educate children in Africa.
The concert, to be held Friday, Dec. 16 at Clutch Cargos in Pontiac, is the sixth concert Fisher has produced in the past four years. The indie pop group Heyhihello, is the headliner and will be playing their new song, "Nothing At All," which is slated for release on iTunes and Amazon.com on Dec. 21.
Also scheduled to perform are the bands Claslan, A Minor Bird, Rival Summers, Nicole Amine and dub step dj Walter Melon.
"We have fantastic fans in Michigan," said Heyhihello leader Jakub Andrew. "We wanted to play at the BTJ4A benefit because we feel music is for sharing with the world, bringing us together and uniting people of different cultures. Together we can make a difference."
Fisher graduated from Troy High School last year, but is no novice to fundraising. She has been raising money to feed African children since she was 12 years old. By the ripe old age of 14, she conceived the idea of showcasing the musicians of tomorrow in benefit performances to raise awareness and money for Joint Aid Management (JAM), an African humanitarian relief organization with over 27 years experience. To date she has raised over $146,000, which translates into feeding and educating 2,920 children.
Last summer Morgan spent six weeks in South Africa and saw first hand the desperate situation.
"The concerts mean so much more to me now, since returning from South Africa," Fisher said. "I've seen the children myself and I've seen first hand the effects of what we can do and how much our efforts help. It only takes $50 to feed and educate an African child for an entire year."
Fisher is currently in a mentorship program with American Express where she is molding her five year plan for future philanthropic projects. She is also the recipient of a DoSomething.org grant.
BTJ4A is the youth based arm of JAM USA and showcases up and coming musicians in benefit concerts. Tickets are $10 and available at the door, at ticketweb or via email at bandsthatjam@yahoo.com. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Doors open at 6 p.m. For more info: www.BTJ4A.com.
