All 5 former presidents to attend storm event
Star-studded relief concert to be held at Texas A&M on Oct. 21.
All five living former U.S. presidents will attend a newly announced hurricane relief concert at Texas A&M University on Oct. 21.
“Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal” will feature Alabama, the Gatlin Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Yolanda Adams and several other music acts, according to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation. County music star Lee Greenwood will emcee the event.
The former presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter — recently launched One America Appeal to help victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
The A&M event follows two major hurricane relief benefits: “Harvey Can’t Mess With Texas” — featuring Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, James Taylor and other music acts at the Erwin Center — and “Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief,” another star-studded event.
“Hand in Hand” was live from Los Angeles, New York and Nashville, Tenn., and featured a George Strait performance in San Antonio. The telethon was underwritten by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Verizon and Apple, and it raised more than $55 million in donations, according to “Hand in Hand” organizers.
The San Antonio event hauled in more than $5 million in ticket sales that the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation matched.
Tickets for the upcoming event at Reed Arena can be purchased at https://bush41.org/deep-fromthe-heart. Prices range from $30 to $600.
“Thanks to our generous underwriters, every dollar you spend to attend Deep from the Heart will go to help these storm victims start the process of healing and recovering,” according to a statement from the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation on the event’s website. “With top musical talent from Texas and beyond, it promises to be an uplifting, unforgettable night.”
The former presidents also are asking for general donations, which can be made at oneamericaappeal.org. All donations to the organization will go to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund focusing on the Houston area, Rebuild Texas Fund, Florida Disaster Fund, Unidos Por Puerto Rico and Fund for the Virgin Islands.