Riverside City College’s Music Department will be holding a Concert for the Homeless on Sunday, September 30, 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. Tickets are also available through the Landis Performing Arts Center box office from Tuesday to Friday, 11:30 am to 4:30 pm 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.
In 2018, the Riverside County Homeless Count and Survey Report identified 1,685 unsheltered and 631 sheltered homeless people in Riverside County. However, it was the Music department’s move downtown that inspired Peter Curtis, professor of Music, to get involved.
“In 2016, the department moved to an amazing new facility in downtown Riverside, the Henry W. Coil, Sr. and Alice Edna Coil School for the Arts,” Curtis said. “Our presence in the downtown area led to encounters between students, faculty and the homeless people in Riverside's downtown. 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.”
At the suggestion of Riverside City Councilman Mike Gardner, Curtis sought out Path of Life Ministries Homeless Shelter.
“When I inquired about a good organization that deals with this problem, Mike Gardner suggested Path of Life Ministries,” he said. “After visiting the Path of Life shelter and seeing the amazing work that they do, I proposed the concert idea with the proceeds being donated to the shelter to help those in need.”