Music may feed the soul, but more than 2,000 Keys kids need actual food come summer, when the daily meals they get at school are unavailable.
Key West vocalist Kim Gordon is hosting a musical benefit to make sure no kid spends the summer hungry. The Black & Red Masquerade Ball on Saturday, March 14 will turn Key West Theater into a Venetian carnival. Gordon will perform with an all-star band, including Grammy-winning saxophone player Tim Mayer.
The music and dance party marks the 20th musical fundraising event Gordon has
produced in Key West, adding to a total of nearly 60 performances on stages across the island.
A classically trained singer with a three-octave range, Gordon delivers a bell-like soprano one moment and a lusty cabaret style the next. From swing, pop, jazz and standards to R&B, the Black & Red Masquerade Ball will feed the soul — and kids this summer.
The event will include a costume and mask contest, a dance floor and optional VIP seating with champagne and desserts. A sponsorship opportunity would also make the balcony available for a private party of 20 guests featuring catered small plates, champagne, desserts and a private restroom.
All proceeds will fund backpacks filled by the S.O.S. Foundation with meals this summer for kids in need. Last year 74% of all elementary-school children in Key West alone qualified for meal support through school. From Key West through Big Pine Key, more than 2,300 schoolchildren may be hungry or be underfed in the summertime.
“We simply can’t let our local kids go hungry this summer,” Gordon said. “They may get
breakfast and lunch at school but have absolutely nothing to eat or poor-quality snacks
for dinner. And that kind of hunger amongst our littlest ones shouldn’t exist here in the
Keys, where we pride ourselves on helping our neighbors.”
Every $1,000 raised will provide a full week of nutritious dinners and weekend snacks for 75 hungry kids this summer. Each child in need will get a backpack with seven nutritious meals and weekend snacks prepared by the S.O.S. Foundation.
Gordon created her after-school meals program through her nonprofit Music With Heart
with input from the Monroe County school board.
The Black and Red Masquerade Ball is produced in partnership with the Key West Woman’s Club. Gordon’s campaigns and philanthropic musical endeavors over the past 22
years have raised funds to fight hunger and homelessness, support cancer patients and rebuild homes. Tickets are available at thekeywesttheater.com. More information is at cffk.org/feedourkids and keysmusicwithheart.com.
