COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A hurricane relief concert planned for Oct. 21 in College Station will feature former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H W Bush and Jimmy Carter, the George H W Bush Presidential Library Foundation announced Wednesday.
Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal, which will take place at Reed Arena, will also feature Alabama, the Gatlin Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, "Soul Man" singer Sam Moore, gospel singer Yolanda Adams, "The Voice" star Cassadee Pope and up-and-comer Stephanie Quayle, and Lee Greenwood will emcee.
“The 43rd president and I, and our distinguished colleagues in this One America Appeal, are very grateful to these wonderful performers — some of them old friends, some of them new — for giving their time and talent to help the urgent cause of hurricane recovery in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean,” George H W Bush said. “It’s important that those affected by these devastating storms know that, even if the path to recovery feels like a road that goes on forever, we’re with them for the long haul."
Officials at the Office of George H W Bush said the five former presidents originally were inspired to come together in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
The One America Appeal was then launched on Sept. 7 when all of the presidents aired a joint public service announcement on the NFL's regular season opening broadcast and launched the website, which accepts tax-deductible donations.
The One America Appeal has since expanded to include recovery efforts in Florida from Hurricane Irma, and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from Hurricane Maria.
Officials with the elder Bush's office said a special restricted account was established to collect and distribute donations so that every dollar given goes to assist hurricane victims. Those donations will be distributed to:
- Houston Harvey Relief Fund, focusing on the greater Houston region.
- Rebuild Texas Fund, assisting hurricane-ravaged communities across the state
- Florida Disaster Fund.
- Juntos y Unidos Por Puerto Rico, launched by first lady Beatriz Rossello and a private-sector coalition.
- The Fund for the Virgin Islands.
“Thanks to our very generous underwriters, we can once again state that every dollar we raise through ticket sales for our Deep From the Heart show will go to our designated hurricane recovery funds,” David Jones, CEO of the George H W Bush Presidential Library Foundation, said.
Tickets for the concert are on sale here.
