WS Chronicle

On Sunday, Sept. 23 at 3 p.m., St Anne’s Episcopal Church and Moms Demand Action will co-host a free Concert Across America to End Gun Violence event at Green Street United Methodist Church, 639 S. Green St.

The event is open to the public and donations are welcomed.  Diana Tuffin, a local jazz vocalist, will be the featured act.

This event is one of dozens to be held around the country between Sept. 20 and Sept. 30 to help raise awareness about gun violence.  The anchor event will take place in Parkland, Florida, where 17 were killed and 14 wounded during the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.  Performers at all events across the country will sing “Shine,” a song written by Andrea Pena and Sawyer Garrity, two shooting survivors from Parkland.

This is the second year St. Anne’s has hosted the event.  Julie Dubuisson, the main coordinator for the Winston-Salem event, says she wants to bring as much awareness to this issue as possible.

“I guess it’s always been something that has kind of grieved us, the loss of life from gun violence, said Dubuisson.  “Last year was our first year hosting the event because someone on our outreach committee signed us up to be a site.”

According to Dubuisson, the church raised $2,600 in funds that were donated to North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, based in Raleigh.  This year, the funds will be donated to Moms Demand Action.

“We are facing a public health crisis in that seven American children or teens are shot and killed every day,” she said in a statement.  “This event has two goals: To remember the tremendous loss of life that gun violence has cost our communities and to fundraise for our local Moms Demand Action chapter, which promotes legislation, corporate policies and individual behaviors that keep our families safe from gun violence.”

Dubuisson says the St. Anne’s congregation wanted to hold this event because they are concerned with the sobering amount of gun violence that is so prevalent across the nation.  They feel any small amount of awareness can go a long way.

“We are a church and we pray about these things, but really we are just trying to get out there and raise the communities’ awareness,” she continued.

More than 250 cities hosted events for last year’s Concert Across America.  The first Concert Across America took place on Sept. 25, 2016, to coincide with the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.

For more information, email Dubuisson at jdubuiss@gmail.com or visit http://condertacrossamerica.org/business-directory/2018-concerts/winston-salem/.