It started small enough, as Calais McGuinness and her husband Joe sat on their front porch about three weeks ago, wondering how they could help those whose businesses and lives have been upended by the repercussions of COVID-19.
Joe, a worship leader at The Pointe Church in Canton, is also a well-known folk/Americana singer-songwriter and musician with industry contacts available to tap.
The couple landed on The Love Stream, a virtual concert that will take place at 6:30 p.m. April 11 on Facebook.
Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke, Coy Bowles of the Zac Brown Band, Blair Crimmins, Levi Lowery and Joe McGuinness will perform during the online event and donations will be accepted to aid local restaurants and families in need.
“The whole idea is, how do we give back and how do we give back more than once?,” said Calais, business development director for Panoramic Doors in Atlanta.
Through Calais’ friends in the design industry - Modern Luxury Interiors is a partner in the event - neighborhood recommendations and their own personal frequenting, six restaurants were chosen as beneficiaries: Prime 120, Athens Pizza, Buteco, Foundation Social Eatery, Fortify Pi and Petit Chou.
“Depending upon donations and how much we raise, we’d like to help more,” Calais said.
Contributions can be made via Venmo (@LoveStream), CashApp ($LoveStream) and Paypal (GeorgiaSurvivors@gmail.com). The monies raised will be used to purchase gift cards from the restaurants, which will then be given to families in need. Calais is working with members of various social services organizations in Georgia to identify those in need.
Adding to the circle of giving, Calais’ mother-in-law is on the board of the Georgia Suicide Prevention Action Network, which is also a partner for the event.
Calais is hopeful that the initial Love Stream will succeed enough to warrant additional virtual fundraising events.
“We called it The Love Stream because we didn’t want to specify it as something related only to musicians,” she said. “Maybe we do another one that uses poets or (others in the arts community).”
About the Author
