Laurie Anderson, Kathleen Hanna Raise Funds for Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls

Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 3 MIN.

On Friday, December 4, Kathleen Hanna, Laurie Anderson, Santigold and more will gather at Roulette in Brooklyn for "A Little Bit of Rhythm & A Lot of Soul," an evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, music and prizes to benefit the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls.

Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls is a non-profit music and mentoring program that empowers girls and women through music education, volunteerism, and activities that foster self-respect, leadership skills, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration.

Launched in 2005, the organization will celebrate a decade of uniting girls across greater New York City in a shared mission to ROCK* with a first-of-its kind special event and fundraising benefit at Roulette in Brooklyn.

The event features Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, DJ Rekha, DJ Robi D Lite and Chiara de Blasio. Laurie Anderson will serve as Honorary Event Chair. Event Chairs include Debra Granik, Writer/ Director of "Winter's Bone," and Kristen Kusama-Hinte.

Musician and producer Santigold will be honored as a Wave Maker. Carla Miller, Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, Universal Music Group, will receive the Ground Breaker Award. Kathleen Hanna and Sara Landeau will be honored with the Artists and Activists Award. And Chiara de Blasion will be recognized as the Camper Alum of the Year; she attended the first-ever session in 2005.

Featuring live music and dancing, sets by DJ Rekha,�DJ Robi D Light�and additional surprise guests. Food will be provided by�Olivia Cooks for You plus beer, wine, and signature cocktails, including a special concoction made with�Tito's Homemade Vodka. Guests will also have the chance to win awesome raffle prizes, including a wine tasting class for four at�Some Good Wine. More fabulous raffle prizes will be announced soon.

All proceeds from the event will be used to give girls, young women, and trans youth from low- and moderate-income households in NYC the opportunity to attend our�Girls Rock! Camp�and other music and mentoring programs.

The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls (WMRC) Fairness Fund allows WMRC to provide scholarships and sliding scale tuition to more than half of their campers annually, and offer all community- and school-based programs free-of charge to participants.

�Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls was founded in 2004 by a group of New York City women musicians as a grassroots effort. Since 2005, the organization has served more than 1,000 girls in 58 NYC zip codes through a variety of programs. All programs are offered free of charge or with sliding scale tuition.
The inaugural camp session in 2005 at the New York Society for Ethical Culture in Manhattan; 66 girls attended.

Over the years, Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls' program offerings have continued to grow significantly in response to continued strong demand. The summer program more than doubled in size in its second year, and now runs at full capacity. Summer camp locations have included�Blue School�in Manhattan's Financial District, Cathedral High School, The Co-op School in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, and Brooklyn�High School of the Arts.

WMRC now offers year-round programming, too, with after-school programs at public schools throughout NYC and special events at Willie Mae Music Lab, its Brooklyn-based community music facility offering a wide variety of affordable music programs and resources for girls and women.

The camp is named after Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, a blues and rock performer/songwriter who was one of the first women to play the music that came to be known as "rock n' roll." The camp grew out of the Portland, Oregon-based program�Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls, which was founded in 2000.

"A Little Bit of Rhythm & A Lot of Soul," will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4 at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Tickets range from $50 to $500; to purchase, click here.


by Winnie McCroy , EDGE Editor

Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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