The Church Health Center is hosting its eighth annual Rock for Love benefit concert from Sept. 5 to Sept. 7 at Crosstown, Overton Square, and the Levitt Shell.
“Every year, more people from the music scene and larger creative community add their own creativity to the mix, whether it’s their performance or a creative idea to raise more funds and awareness for the Center,” Church Health Center spokesman and concert co-founder Marvin Stockwell said. “It’s humbling and a testament to the generous community we live in.”
According to their website, Church Health Center is an organization that “helps provide quality, affordable healthcare for working, uninsured people and their families.” Founded by Dr. Scott Morris in 1987, the Church Health Center Clinic has grown to becoming one of the biggest faith-based organizations of its kind in the country.
Since 2007, Church Health Center has hosted a benefit concert called Rock for Love where they bring in local bands to put on a show for the community. The benefit concert is a weekend-long event that helps raise money for Church Health Center, where they have already raised over $200,000 since 2007.
“Rock for Love is all about Memphis, and you can just tell with how the musicians and crowd are reacting that they are having a great time,” Stockwell said. “While we strongly encourage donations, we want all of Memphis to be with us and encourage anybody to come out whether you can donate or not.”
Most of the musicians that perform at Rock for Love have actually been impacted by all that the Church Health Center has done, says Stockwell. The organization provided Al Kapone, who has played and emceed at several Rock for Love concerts in the past, with healthcare for his cataracts surgery.
On Aug. 31, Huey’s midtown hosted a kickoff party where 50 percent of all the cost of pints of beer sold was donated to the Church Health Center. Huey’s, which has been a sponsor since the start, will also be running a kid zone at Overton Square throughout the day.
“Huey’s has been a tremendous partner dating back to when Thomas Boggs and Dr. Scott Morris were good friends,” Stockwell said. “They are a yearly sponsor for the benefit concert and are always open to helping out at the event.”
Rock for Love 8 will start Friday Sept. 5 at the Crosstown block party. The touring Dirty Streets will be performing at the Hi Tone at midnight. Other local bands will be performing at venues such as Crosstown Arts, Amurica, the Church Health Center’s bay space, and on an outdoor Visible School Stage; food trucks, a hula hoop luau, and an art exhibition will also be provided.
On Saturday, the benefit concert will carry over to Overton Square. Black Oak Arkansas will be performing at the Overton Square Tower Courtyard proceeding a “family friendly day party featuring the likes of the Stax Academy Band, Paul Taylor, and the Mighty Souls Brass Band,” according to the press release. Al Kapone will be hosting a hip-hop after party at the Hattiloo Theatre at 11 p.m.
Sunday’s finale at the Levitt Shell will feature acts from The Grifters, Impala, and Mark Edgar Stuart. Excluding the Dirty Streets performance at the Hi Tone and the Hattiloo Theatre hip hop after party, all shows are free to the public but donations are encouraged.
Rock for Love 8 is also holding an online auction, which started on Aug. 12 and runs all the way through to Sept. 7.
“The online auction will include donated items ranging from gift certificates to pieces of art and even travel packages,” Stockwell said. “While local restaurants and shops donate some of the merchandise, a lot of the donations come from the older citizens in the Memphis area.”
For more information on the benefit concert’s performance schedule and online auction, visit rockforlove.org.
