Benefit Concert to be held to help Victims of Child Sexual Abuse

MECA Music Heals, Philadelphia Weekly, XPN Welcomes and World Café Live are coming together
for a concert to benefit the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance and victims of child sexual abuse
on Nov. 6, 2013

(PHILADELPHIA, PA)—Music Empowering Children of Abuse, also known as MECA Music Heals, is proud to introduce its new album Movin’ On, which aims to empower children who have been victimized. The album, which was released in May 2013, features eleven Philadelphia based artists whose songs offer healing and inspiration for all. In partnership with Philadelphia Weekly and World Café Live, artists from Movin’ On will host a benefit concert for the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (PCA) on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, from 6 to 10 p.m.

PCA is a nonprofit that provides a one-stop shop where victims of child sexual abuse go to experience a kid-friendly environment, receive victim support services and talk to highly specialized forensic interviewers—who coordinate with DHS, Philadelphia Special Victims Unit (SVU) and the DA’s office so the child doesn’t have to keep reliving what happened to them by retelling their story to each individual agency. All proceeds from the album and concert will benefit PCA.

The Nov. 6 concert will feature performances by select artists from the album, including: Cliff Hillis, a  Phoenixville, PA-based musician, songwriter and producer known for his work with the likes of Jeffrey Gaines, The Eric Bazilian Trio and the In the Pocket: Essential Songs of Philadelphia project; The Caulfields, a major-label band from the ’90s who reunited just to do a track for the Movin’ On benefit; Nik Everett, a Delaware-based musician who’s worked with talent like Scott Bricklin, Matt Muir, Pete Donnelly and Keith Moss; Lauren Hart, an Atlantic City, NJ native with five albums to her name, most recently known for singing the national anthem at Flyers games; and Minerva, made up of Kevin Henry and Peggy Carroll-Henry, who wrote the album’s title track, “Movin’ On.”

Other musicians featured on the Movin’ On CD include: Ben Arnold, Angela Sheik, Eric Bazilian, Liz Longley, Rod Kim and LauraC. You can listen to the album by clicking here.

In addition to musical performances, writers from Philadelphia Weekly’s national storytelling initiative, The Survivors Project, will read personal excerpts from PW’s book of that name, which collects first-person accounts of surviving sexual abuse.

Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased here. Teddy bear donations will also be accepted for children who visit PCA.

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Imagine a safe haven, where every child affected by the trauma of sexual abuse in Philadelphia is able to begin the healing process; a place where experts in the fields of social work, law enforcement, child protective services, medicine and prosecution collaborate to achieve justice for each child; a place that works to ensure that justice is carried out; that place is the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance. http://paphiladelphia.nationalchildrensalliance.org/