UCF Students Pitch a Tent to Help the Homeless

On the day of Rock For Hunger Fest 4, we had a group of volunteers and students from Professor Whitney's Event Planning Class hit the streets of Downtown Orlando and create an environment that showcased a version of the homeless lifestyle. Armed with a tent, cardboard signs, an info sheet and fliers for the event, these students helped ignite conversations about Rock For Hunger, our solutions and the issues facing the homeless in Downtown Orlando.

Here are some shots of the promotion:



Rock For Hunger would like to thank all the volunteers that came out and really made the event possible. The promotion was top notch and we were able to create the awareness that we wanted to in the local community. Thanks to Professor Whitney for allowing us to work with her students and exposing them to our event and cause.

To see what the students were able to do on campus, please check out UCF Guerrilla Promotion for Orlando Homeless.

-Greg Rollett

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Music Can Change the World

The notion that music can change the world is not just a quote from the legendary Bono. It is a testament that people can relate to music, use its emotions and make something beautiful. That is the reason it sits in our mission statement:

Rock for Hunger exists to inspire individuals of all cultures to join together through music, education and peaceful solutions in order to end the cycle of hunger and poverty.

This past weekend proved that statement is working now more than ever! With support from sponsors, volunteers, our interns and Board/Staff Rock For Hunger Fest 4 was the start of our New Year. The beginning of the vision Chris has 4 years ago when he brought me on this wild ride.

The bands, from Tomorrow's Bad Seeds and InnerCoastal to Chris Burns's packed house jam session to The Crazy Carls rocking till the wheels fell off, music inspired the night. From our homeless friends that came to rock out with us - they were jumping up and down, clapping and cheering like they owned the night.

The fans knew why they were there - I made sure of that. The loudest ovations of the night came when they heard where their ticket money was going.

Music Healing the World

The vision for Rock For Hunger's future lies in the Dream Center. A place that brings together music, art, lifestyle design, basic needs and the support of the Rock For Hunger crew for the homeless community and those in need, including the 1 in 5 children in Orlando that go without a meal everyday.

Music is being used all around the world to change lives. A story came my way this morning of Carlinhos Brown, a musician from Candeal Pequeno in Brazil who has taken his music and fame and used it to create opportunities for those living in poverty in his hometown. At Rock For Hunger, we believe in what he says in the article:

“Poverty is not an excuse for anything. Poverty is an opportunity.”

Mr. Brown, a well known Brazilian artist, has opened a music school for the children of his city. This music school paved the way for a 360 degree change in Candeal Pequeno from dignitaries visiting the town to paved roads, built their first health clinic and built and renovated more than 200 homes.

This story inspires me to keep working towards our vision of the Rock For Hunger Dreams Center and firms my belief that music can change the world, because music can change people. That's what the Rock For Hunger Fest weekend is all about.

Thank you for coming along for the journey. More wrap up coming soon, plus news on the Homeless Lifestyle Design Project starting November 2nd.

-Greg Rollett

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Urban Flats Talks About Helping the Orlando Community

On Friday night at the Rock For Hunger VIP Party, Urban Flats helped us in a big way by donating 250 awesome boxed pasta dishes that were scooped up quickly by our homeless friends, volunteers and staff. The meal was enjoyed on a very warm October evening that was followed by the movie "Pay It Forward" that kept the crowd entertained through the night.

I had the chance to catch up with Urban Flat's VP Lori and Events Director Brandi to talk about their community involvement, how they are helping with the VIP event and how other nonprofits can benefit from the services Urban Flats offers.

Feel free to contact and connect with their team on Twitter, @urbanflatswine or on their website, www.urbanflats.net.

-Greg

Video: Urban Flats Feeds Orlando Homeless

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UCF Students Use Guerrilla Marketing Tactics To Help Homeless

Students in the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, at the University of Central Florida, have been rocking for the homeless in major ways this semester. In conjunction with Mrs. Whitney's Event Planning Class, the students have been assigned to volunteer and help promote Rock For Hunger Fest 4, October 10th in Downtown Orlando. As part of the promotions the students signed up in 3 groups

• Street Team - fliers and posters around town
• On Campus Marketing Event
• Day Of Street Campaign

If you are downtown tomorrow, Saturday October 10th, look for 20-30 students setting up homeless camps in parking spaces, talking about the show and the changes Rock For Hunger is making in the community. They will have info cards, tickets to the events and high spirits to kick off the day's festivities.

The students that were on campus, did one heck of a job in promoting the show, with a display of homeless life on campus - utilizing benches, free speech areas and cardboard signs to grab UCF students attention. Here are some pics from that event:


We want to thank the class for their efforts in making Rock For Hunger the biggest local charity concert of its kind and for helping us get one step closer to opening the Rock For Hunger Dreams Center in early 2010.

See you tomorrow at the show!

Grab you tickets here!

-Greg Rollett

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Rock For Hunger Fest 4 - Mainstage at Backbooth

So far, we have shared the bands that will be taking over Pine Street at Rock For Hunger Fest 4 at 57 West and Tanqueray's, but today we are ready to share the main stage, where all the action is going down. For those that witnessed Rock For Hunger 2, you know the kind of street party we throw and this year is no different. From the minute you walk in, you will be immersed into the Rock For Hunger World, from the concert edition of Talk For Hunger, to our new membership plans to the, oh yea, the music and culture that make this event a day to remember.

Doors for the Backbooth lot will open at 5pm and iRock For Hunger Audition winner Inner Coastal (some may know them as Ben's Friends) will take the stage.

Inner Coastal

We cannot express the way that Inner Coastal has spread the word of this festival and the cause. From the tubs and tubs of food, to selling out their ticket pool not once, but twice - we are very proud to have them repping RFH on the mainstage.

Check them out on Myspace and sing along with their catchy tunes.

The Heavy Pets

Hailing from South Florida, this touring act is a great fit for the Rock For Hunger stage. Their rock and punk influenced set is sure to rock the rock the Orlando crowd.

Visit the Heavy Pets on Myspace
Follow the Heavy Pets on Twitter

Co-Headliner - Tomorrow's Bad Seeds

Hailing from LA, this raggae, hip-hop and rock influenced set is coming to bring the ruckus Saturday night. Their entire album can be streamed right from their website (click on Music), so their is no excuses to bust a rhyme or make them feel at home, repping Rock For Hunger.

Check them out on Myspace
Follow their antics on Twitter
Visit their website

Co-headliner - Burnin Smyrnans

Hailing from the beach town of New Smyrna Beach and no stranger to the Orlando scene, we are stoked to have these guys closing the night in the parking lot, rocking the crowd and giving back to the Orlando community. Grab their new album "Travel Along" on CD Baby or at the event and support these hometown guys!

Check out the Burnin Smyrnans on Myspace
Visit their official site
Follow them on Twitter

And there you have it! We ae so excited for this weekend, from the VIP Party to the bands, to the volunteers to all the fun promos we have been able to pull off.

If you are still crazy and do not have tickets, grab them now online, at Park Ave CD's or if you want to risk it, at the door. They are $10 at all locations!

See you Saturday Orlando as we make a change to help build our community stronger through music, peace and eduction.

-Greg Rollett

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Rock For Hunger Fest 4 - Tanqueray's Stage

This week has been absolutely amazing and the help, volunteers and bands are really rocking for hunger. I urge you all to pick up a copy of the Orlando Sentinel on Friday to see a special piece with Chris Goyzueta and Jim Abbott, chatting about Rock For Hunger, the festival and the Dreams Center.

As we move closer to the event, we are going to take a look at the artists at Tanqueray's, an official venue, sponsor and after party location for Rock For Hunger Fest 4. Here is the music you can experience at this great Orlando venue.

SYPH

Check out S.Y.P.H. on Myspace
Download his album "The McFly Chronicles" for Free here

Chris Burns

Check out Chris Burns Radio Website
Chris Burns on Myspace
Follow Chris on Twitter
Chris Talks About Rock For Hunger 4 on his blog

KG and the Band
Visit KG on Myspace

Check out the live video for Dying to Know by KG and the Band

LoveJuice

Check out LoveJuice on Myspace

LoveJuice will be rocking from midnight - 2am as the official afterparty band for Rock For Hunger 4. Big thanks to Crash and WJRR for all their support and awareness of the efforts of Rock For Hunger.

To grab your tickets, head on over to http://rockforhungerfest4.eventbrite.com.

Follow all the latest festival news on Twitter, @rfhfest.

-Greg

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Rock For Hunger Fest 4 - 57 West Stage

Wow, can you believe Rock For Hunger Fest 4 is this Saturday. I can still remember last year and the 3 stages, the parking lot art fest and the amazing people.

One of the things that stood out to me personally were the 2 side stages and the atrium stage in particular. It's intention was to keep the crowd moving and grooving while grabbing a drink or awaiting set changes and what happened was an explosion of indie talent that had the crowd in a frenzy. From Patrick O'Brien playing when the doors opened to the beatboxing talents of Rubox Cube and Ronyai to Orlando's soul uprising stars Peter Baldwin and Kaleigh Baker to well...let's just say that I got to close the stage out to a few hundred of my closest friends, Rock For Hunger volunteers and a really fun on stage party.

This year, while the main activities are going on in the Backbooth Parking Lot, we cannot forget the stages where Orlando's upcoming talent will be shining. This year, at a new venue on Pine Street, 57 West, we will be showcasing some great talent from right in our own backyard.

The band rocking the 57 West Stage is as follows:

The Crazy Carls


Follow the Crazy Carls on Twitter
Visit the Crazy Carls on Myspace

Breathing Chemistry


Visit Breathing Chemistry on Myspace

Savi Fernandez Band


Visit the Savi Fernandez Band on Myspace

Cloud Conquers City

Visit Cloud Conquers City on Myspace

Chasing Jonah

Follow Chasing Jonah on Myspace
I urge you all to check out their websites and their music, so we can all sing along to the future of talent in Orlando!

Tomorrow we will showcase the Tanqueray's Stage and VIP Party and then we get down to the mainstage, and all the festivities taking place at Rock For Hunger Fest 4.

Grab your tickets today at http://rockforhungerfest4.eventbrite.com.

-Greg "G-Ro" Rollett

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Urban Flats Cranks Up the Volume for VIP Party

Luckily Lake Eola park does not have a roof, because we would have just blown it off with this announcement. Rock For Hunger's VIP Party is already a VIP party like none other here in Orlando, with a feeding and entertainment session bridging the gap between the local homeless, the sponsors, the bands and the fans. We really wanted to give our amazing Monday night cooks a night off and enjoy a night talking to friends and enjoying the landscape.

This has been made possible by an amazing donation by Urban Flats in Downtown Orlando. The Downtown Location will be providing 250 meals for our homeless friends, volunteers, bands and friends.

About Urban Flats:

As a young girl, Suzanne Bonham dreamed of a career that would fulfill her passion for food, fun and hospitality. Her aspirations would take her to the place famous for making dreams come true—Walt Disney World. Suzanne was fortunate to have traveled the globe, including to Europe and Africa, teaching others the magic of a memorable guest experience.

While this international adventure was truly amazing, Suzanne’s life dream was to build her own unique dining experience. In 2004, she founded Urban Flats® as a “refined casual” restaurant and wine bar where the centuries-old flatbread is given a modern new twist with interesting, fresh and healthy ingredients. And, the tastefully selected wines from around the world pair perfectly with your gourmet flat.

Remember that at the event you can be guaranteed a meal if you purchase a VIP ticket for $50. The homeless will be fed first, then VIP's, then active volunteers and then everyone else.

You can join us in Lake Eola to kick off Rock For Hunger Fest weekend, Friday, from 5-9pm. We will be showing Playing For Change, playing music and having some sports to keep us all entertained.

Show your support to the Downtown Urban Flats by going in lunch or dinner, grab a drink at their Wine Down Wednesdays or for your next luncheon event. The downtown location can be found at 183 South Orange Ave, Suite 100 Orlando, FL 32801 on the corner of Church and Orange.

photo by ZarrSadus

Grab your Rock For Hunger tickets here today for only $10.

-Greg

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