EASTERN sOUTH CAROLINA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, WACCAMAW COMMUNITY FOUNDATION RECEIVE PROCEEDS

Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune announced this morning that $128,324.36 was raised through the Hurricane Florence Benefit Concert held last month at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.  The proceeds will be shared between the Eastern South Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Waccamaw Community Foundation with each organization receiving $64,162.18.  A recap video of the concert, including artist interviews, is available here.

At a press conference earlier today, Mayor Bethune stated, “We rise by lifting others up, and that was the whole purpose of the Hurricane Florence Benefit Concert.  It was an incredible event that will forever change the lives of many of our neighbors throughout the county.  Now as we approach the holiday season, it truly is a joy to celebrate this time of year by being able to give back.”

The benefit concert, which featured Darius Rucker, Michael Ray, Carly Pearce, Love and Theft, Chris Bryant, Josh Phillips, The Davisson Brothers Band, The Swon Brothers and more, was pulled together in less than six weeks.  Additionally, all of the talent, and much of the time, efforts, and resources to execute the event were donated.  The majority of the funds were raised through ticket sales, sponsorship, and concession sales.  Additional donations came in through a text to donate campaign which is still active.  If you would like to donate to local relief efforts text REDCROSS to 90999.

“The Hurricane Florence Benefit Concert came together very quickly thanks to a group of very dedicated people,” stated Mayor Bethune.  “This team not only created a great event, but while we were planning it we formed some lifelong friendships for which I am very grateful.”

The host committee for the benefit concert was comprised of Ryan Moore (Myrtle Beach Pelicans), Amie Lee (Palmetto Event Productions), Adam Dellinger and Jimmy Feuger (iHeart Media/Gator 107.9), Ed Piotrowski and members of WPDE ABC 15 and the CW21, The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, VisitMyrtleBeach.com, Southern Entertainment, Whirlwind Creations, Mayor Bethune, and the City of Myrtle Beach.

The Waccamaw Community Foundation will be distributing their allocation of the funds through a grant process and will be vetting all non-profit applications.  Only non-profit organizations helping flood relief efforts in Horry County are eligible to receive these funds.  To learn more about the Waccamaw Community Foundation click here. 

The Eastern South Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross will be deploying their allocation of funds to help with a number of flood related efforts.  Such efforts include providing financial assistance to families with destroyed and majorly damaged homes, offering mental and spiritual help to all affected residents free of charge, providing clean-up kits, and more.  To learn more about the Eastern SC Chapter of the American Red Cross click here.

ABOUT THE PELICANS: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and play their home games at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Since being acquired by a group led by Chuck Greenberg during the 2006 season, the Pelicans have repeatedly set team attendance records and become known as one of Minor League Baseball’s most innovative and creative franchises. The team and its employees have been dedicated to making a difference in the Myrtle Beach community, specifically giving back over $2 million in donations, fundraising proceeds, in-kind services and community service since launching the Pelicans Play It Forward Community Initiative in 2013. TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark has ranked in the top eight in all of Minor League Baseball by Stadium Journey in six of the last seven seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences and the best in the Carolina League for six of the past seven seasons. In June 2017, the Pelicans won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. On the field, the team has won four Mills Cup Championships, including claims to back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000, and again in 2015 and 2016. The Pelicans have made 11 postseason appearances behind 13 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season, second half of 2016 and first half of 2017. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or email Info@MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.