An annual jazz event, the Brooklyn Djangology Festival, will donate all of the profits from ticket sales to The Fund for HHC’s hurricane relief initiative. The festival will take place on December 6 and 7 at the Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn.
Eve Seltzer with her bandmates.
Bellevue Hospital employee Eve Seltzer, who is also a member of the band Franglais that will perform at the festival, is spearheading this effort. As a result of extensive flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy, Bellevue experienced its first sustained closure since 1736, and although it recently restored primary care services, it is not expected to be fully operational until 2013.
Django Reinhardt (left) and Stéphane Grapelli
“I am so proud to be a part of the wonderful team at Bellevue Rehab, and I was heartbroken by the evacuation,” says Seltzer. “We had been planning the festival since September, but once the hurricane hit, we felt compelled to dedicate it to the hospitals that have served New York, especially in times of crisis.”
Although the storm caused severe damage to the infrastructure of Bellevue and other HHC facilities, the hospital system’s most valuable asset – its employees – were also affected, and many are in desperate need of help. HHC employees bravely faced the storm, despite their personal needs and concerns, to care for patients. The donated proceeds from the Brooklyn Djangology Festival will directly benefit HHC staff members who are experiencing significant hardships and personal losses as a result of the hurricane.
The annual Brooklyn Djangology Festival celebrates the legacy of Belgium-born guitarist Django Reinhardt, a musician credited with creating a genre known as gypsy jazz. Performers at the festival include Titi Bamberger, Jason Anick, Olli Soikkelli, Alouette the Lark, Raklorom, and many others.
When: December 6 and 7
Where: Shapeshifter Lab at 18 Whitwell Place, Brooklyn
Admission: Tickets are $15 each and are available by phone or at the door. To purchase tickets in advance, call the venue to make a reservation at (646) 820-9452.
For the complete schedule and more information about the event, visit the festival’s website.
In his role as Global Ambassador, Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean is helping The Fund for HHC establish HHC’s “Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund” with donations going to the communities we serve.
STORY
When Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, Mississippi, was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, HHC employees stepped in.
STORY
