FRET Aid Launches with Town Hall Meeting
May 27, 2012, 1-1:50 pm
Experience Learning Project
Learning Labs
The Folk Relief Emergency Team (FRET) Aid, a new non-profit organization to help professional folk musicians in need, will hold its inaugural town hall meeting at 1:00 pm on Sunday, May 27 in the EMP Learning Lab at Seattle Center. Area folk musicians and others interested in music are invited to learn more about FRET Aidās activity and membership benefits, and to provide suggestions for FRET Aidās future. A presentation by board members will be followed by an open question-answer period and dialog with participants. Those wishing to attend can RSVP by calling Sally at 206-383-8735.
FRET Aid hopes to involve not only musicians, but members of the folk audience, in giving something back to the musicians who provide so much to the community through their music, but due to their profession are often ill-equipped to deal with financial emergencies. Following the loss last year of beloved folk community members, Teresa and Arwen Morgan, friends in the Seattle area folk music community shared concern for a need in our area to support folk musicians in crisis. Out of this discussion a new nonprofit organization, FRET Aid, is forming.
FRET Aid proposes to provide gap funding, emergency assistance, transportation, meals and referrals for professional folk musicians in crisis in the greater Puget Sound area. In the past six months, FRET Aid has already raised approximately $4,000 at musical benefit shows for two members of our community, providing help with medical bills and living expenses to a musician who had multiple physical and psychological problems resulting from a life crisis, and help with expenses to another musician who broke both wrists in a fall from a ladder.
In forming FRET Aid's goals and support focus, the board would like to hear from musicians about past emergency situations that affected their ability to perform or seriously impacted their life, and what kind of assistance would have been helpful to them in their time of crisis.
MEDIA CONTACT
Sally Green, Vice President
206-383-8735
fremonster1@yahoo.com
FRET Aid
2511 NE 136 St.
Seattle, WA 98125
206-383-8735
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