The Congregational Church of Manhasset (UCC) and New Camerata Opera are presenting a Concert For A Cause/United We Sing event at 3 p.m. on Feb. 10. The concert will benefit Sandy Hook Promise of Newtown, Connecticut. Visit www.sandyhookpromise.org to learn about ways Sandy Hook Promise seeks to protect children from gun violence. Admission is $15 for students and seniors and $20 for everyone else. To purchase tickets with a credit card, visit https://www.universe.com/events/united-we-sing-tickets-manhasset-6LRP7V. To use cash or checks, call Valerie in the church office (516-627-4911 x103), or email revjimmyonly@gmail.com.
The fundraising concert is a joint effort with The Congregational Church of Manhasset teaming up with New Camerata Opera for an afternoon of opera and musical theater. Port Washington resident, Stan Lacy, is a co-founder of New Camerata Opera (NCO). He explains, “Every year NCO presents United We Sing to raise money for a charity. Wanting to do something about gun violence, NCO and The Congregational Church chose Sandy Hook Promise. One of the NCO performers is originally from New Town, Connecticut and will speak at the concert.”
Sandy Hook Promise was formed in the days immediately following the Dec. 14, 2012 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School where 20 first graders and six adults were killed. The incident was the deadliest mass shooting at either a high school or grade school in U.S. history.
The Sandy Hook Promise website, www.sandyhookpromise.org, explains that, “From the moment it was formed, SHP’s goal was to create an organization for family members, if they choose, to have a platform to lead the change they wanted to see so that no other parent experiences the senseless, horrific loss of their child.” SHP’s mission is “to prevent gun-related deaths due to crime, suicide and accidental discharge…by educating and empowering parents, schools, and communities on mental health and wellness programs that identify, intervene and help at-risk individuals and gun safety practices that ensure that firearms are kept safe and secure…[Also,] SHP hopes to enact sensible gun violence prevention laws…that result in the reduction of gun-related death and injury.”
Concerts For A Cause is an occasional series sponsored by the church to help groups that are making a difference in the world. Past recipients include gay/straight alliance clubs in local secondary schools, the Katie Oppo Research Fund for ovarian cancer, the American Parkinson Disease Association, and Adventures in Learning for at-risk children (founded by the church in 1969). The Congregational Church is located at 1845 Northern Blvd. in Munsey Park directly across from the Apple Store. The concert will be downstairs in the parish hall, which is wheelchair accessible. For more information call 516-627-4911 and ask for Rev. Jimmy Only or Rev. Lori Burgess or visit www.uccmanhasset.org.
