Beach Boys lead singer, Mike Love, announced today the band will be making a year-long commitment to City Year, a national education-focused organization that unites young AmeriCorps members for a year of service in high-need public schools.
Beginning in August and for one year, all Beach Boys concerts will highlight City Year through a special video tribute when performing “Be True to Your School.” Beach Boys fans will be encouraged to make a $10 donation to City Year by using their cell phones to text the word “SCHOOL” to 20222. In addition, City Year will have a booth and representatives at concerts which take place in communities where City Year serves. The Beach Boys have been selling out amphitheaters, concert venues and county fairs across the country. The current tour runs through November, but the band will be announcing new dates for 2014 in the coming weeks.
“It’s so rewarding to be in a position to help young people find their way through City Year,” said Mike Love. “When I think back on early life before the Beach Boys, I remember those special people who encouraged me to discover my passion and follow my path. Too many kids lose their way, drop out of school, and never realize their true potential. Be True to Your School was a high school anthem in the early sixties, and for me, fifty years later it’s about inspiring our youth to reach for their dream. City Year makes that possible every day, and I’m grateful to shine a spotlight on their incredible work.”
Love was City Year’s recipient of the ‘Seven Generations Award’ at its 2013 National Leadership Summit in May 2013. As one of the organizations highest honors, Mike was ‘jacketed’ in City Year’s signature red jacket worn by all 2,700 corps members.
“Mike is a true champion of service and education,” said AnnMaura Connolly, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer of City Year. “He has a profound compassion for young people, and is committed to doing what he can to help them meet their potential. We are deeply grateful to Mike and The Beach Boys for their extraordinary commitment to supporting the work of City Year AmeriCorps members across the country through this exciting partnership.”
As lead singer of the international sensation, The Beach Boys, Mike Love was the first artist to respond to President George H. W. Bush’s call for service as part of the Points of Light Foundation in 1990. Love began StarServe, “Students Taking Action and Responsibility to Serve,” the first Points of Light Initiative which enlisted high profile celebrities to inspire young people to serve their communities. StarServe distributed teachers guides, posters and recognition letters from celebrities to every school in the country — 169,000 at the time — to support teachers and students in creating innovative service projects in their communities.
In addition to his leadership of service, Mike Love created the Love Foundation, which supports national environmental and educational initiatives. Love and his wife Jacquelyne co-founded the Lake Tahoe School, which combines cutting edge curriculum, state-of-the-art technology, and environmentally conscious education for students pre-K through eighth grade. Love’s charitable efforts also include joining a group of students from Cathedral Catholic High School led by Father Kelly who volunteered their labor of love, making much needed repairs to the Nazareth Orphanage in Tecate Mexico. After Hurricane Katrina, Love helped the American Red Cross raise $250,000 in just one hour for families affected by the storm. Alongside The Beach Boys, Mike Love partnered with Operation Smile during their critically acclaimed 50th Anniversary tour which benefited children worldwide. He recently performed a benefit concert for The Foundation for the Children of the California’s, which raised one million dollars to support the expansion of three new surgical suites. A longtime supporter of environmental causes, Love was among speakers at the Earth Summit in Rio De Janiero and Earth Day on the Mall in Washington, D.C.
Source: PR Newswire
