Riverside City College’s Music department will hold a Concert for the Homeless on Sunday, September 29, at 4 pm in the Henry W. Coil, Sr. and Alice Edna Coil School for the Arts Concert Hall. The concert will feature the College’s ensembles in guitar, wind, jazz and percussion.
Admission requires a minimum donation of $10. General admission tickets are available online at www.coilschoolforthearts.com or on the day of the event at the Coil School for the Arts box office beginning at 3 pm. Tickets are also available through the Landis Performing Arts Center box office or by calling (951) 222-8100. It is suggested no attendees under the age of three years of age.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Path of Life Ministries Homeless Shelter in Riverside. The ministry has served the residents of Riverside since 1998 and has become known as the premier non-profit service agency committed to meeting the needs of the homeless, challenged youth and family population.
The 2019 Riverside County Homeless Count and Survey Report identified 2,811 unsheltered and sheltered homeless individuals (2,045 unsheltered and 766 sheltered) in Riverside County, a 21 percent increase from 2018.
It was the Music department’s move downtown that inspired Peter Curtis, professor, Music to get involved in a homeless fundraiser. At the suggestion of Riverside City Councilman Mike Gardner, Curtis sought out the Path of Life Ministries Homeless Shelter.
“When I inquired about a good organization that deals with this problem, Gardner suggested Path of Life Ministries,” he said. “After visiting the Path of Life shelter and saw the amazing work they do, I proposed the concert idea with the proceeds being donated to the shelter to help those in need.”
Since 2016, the Music department has been housed in downtown Riverside at the state-of-the-art Henry W. Coil, Sr. and Alice Edna Coil School for the Arts.
“Our presence in the downtown area led to encounters between students, faculty and the homeless people in Riverside’s downtown,” Curtis said. “This concert is one way both students and faculty can do something tangible to help the homeless in Riverside while sharing our music with the college community and general public.”