Gospel Concert Raises Money for Youth Scholarships

News Articles
03/16/2004

Gospel music greats will appear in concert in North Oakland Saturday, March 27, to benefit recipients of the Billy J. Givens Memorial Scholarship program. Sponsored by the Reach Out and Touch a Youth Project, this program awards scholarships to deserving college-bound East Bay teenagers.

The Tenth Annual Billy J. Givens Memorial Concert, an eclectic event titled “Gospel, Spirituals and Celebration,” showcases traditional and contemporary gospel vocals, classical instrumental gospel medleys, praise dancing and American spirituals, plus Grammy Award winning performers.

Star quality talent featured this year includes composers/directors Kevin Fox and Rachelle Rogers-Ard, and writer, composer and musician Adam Ivey, plus a long list of local artists and groups including:

AC Transit Gospel Choir
East Bay Anointed Voices
On One Accord
Pacific Boychoir
Parks Chapel AME Church Praise Dancers
Sisters of One Accord
Voices of Skyline Gospel Choir

Mrs. Dorothy Stanton, president of the Bay Area Religious Announcers’ Guild, will emcee the event, which begins at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, March 27, at the Parks Chapel AME Church, located at 476 34th Street in North Oakland.

Concert proceeds go to scholarships for worthy high school grads from within AC Transit’s East Bay service area. The bus system is a cosponsor of the concert, along with Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 192 (which represents AC Transit’s bus operators and maintenance employees) and AFSCME Local 3916 (which represents management and professional staff).

This annual benefit event memorializes the late Billy J. Givens, a much-admired and highly-respected AC Transit bus driver who was slain 1998 while at the wheel of his coach. Last year, the benefit concert garnered contributions sufficient to support dispensing 20 $500 scholarships for deserving high school seniors.