In Hollywood it seems brown is the new black, black is the new blonde, and giving is the new receiving. Yes, some celebrities actually feel it is better to give than receive. A bit of a shocker if you believe the myriad tabloid tales that detail fights between “petty and shallow” celebs, who will stop at nothing to make sure they don’t leave a Hollywood function without a well stocked goodie bag. But, not all of today’s biggest stars fit under the category of self-absorbed stuck-ups.
Take for example, the members of the hit band “Hootie & the Blowfish.” Beginning next week, the group will launch a 10-city concert series in Nashville to help collect school supplies for children. The band is urging concert-goers to bring school supplies to shows in the Homegrown Concert series. The supplies will be collected at each venue, then donated to each community’s public school system.
What’s more, in each city the band performs, a business or organization will make a donation to the schools. In Nashville, the Hard Rock Cafe will donate $5,000 to LP Pencil Box, a school supply center where teachers can get supplies for students who can’t afford them.
The campaign was the brainchild of the pop-rock band’s members: Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld and Mark Bryan. The group started the event in 2003 in Charleston, South Carolina (not far from where the band originally formed at the University of South Carolina). The next year the group expanded it’s charitable project to other cities in the Carolinas. This year, they’re visiting cities in Pennsylvania, Texas, Alabama and Florida.
So if you are lucky enough to get to see the group perform their hits “Hold My Hand,” “Only Wanna Be With You” and “Let Her Cry;” live in concert, don’t forget to bring a few donations (pencils, pens, notebooks, scissors, glue, chalk, crayons) for students who need all the help they can get.