ACCESS is 2023 AWMF Fire Fundraiser Recipient

 

Rogue World Music announces the ACCESS Center for Community Resilience as the 2023 Ashland World Music Festival Fire Recovery fundraiser recipient. This program serves the Rogue Valley community members impacted by the 2020 Almeda Wildfire. This is the fourth year AWMF events have raised funds for Almeda Wildfire relief/recovery/rebuilding programs. As always all AWMF events are FREE. Giving is inspiration-based.

“Music is a powerful connector and unique in its capacity to create even as it is a creative output. Rogue World Music is dedicated to leveraging this power to generate tangible positive impact in our Rogue Valley communities even as we bring about opportunities for intangible community building too.” -Ana Byers, Rogue World Music Executive Director.

Each year, Rogue World Music raises funds for a nonprofit that directly serves fire-impacted community members. To date, the AWMF has raised over $30,000 for Almeda Wildfire relief/recovery/rebuilding programs, including:

  • 2020: Phoenix-Talent School District Families Fire Relief Fund

  • 2021: Unete Farmworkers & Immigrant Families Fire Relief Fund

  • 2022: Coalición Fortaleza Resident-owned Mobile Home Co-op at Talent Mobile Estates

Cascade Hasson Sotheby's International Realty has already issued a $2,500 matching challenge for donations to the 2023 AWMF Fire Recovery fundraiser, which is open for contributions from May 24th through June 1st.

“Climate fires impact our community as a whole. As we’ve seen with the Almeda Wildfire, the losses were big and could have been bigger if not for the support of the whole community in fire recovery efforts. This is a long journey and it is going to take another 5-10 years for full recovery. We must continue working together.”  -Erica Ledesma, Coalición Fortaleza Executive Director. 

The ACCESS Center for Community Resilience helps transition fire survivors from living in hotels and other short-term housing to stable, suitable housing options. The CCR was created in August 2021 along with ACCESS partners, including case managers from the State of Oregon and other local agencies, to assist those who were impacted by the 2020 Jackson County wildfires. As of February, 2023, ACCESS has served over 680 households through application processes, securing transitional housing, case management, and purchasing permanent housing. Full report here. 

“We’re so grateful for events like this [the Ashland World Music Festival] for opportunities to share about this issue…I think so many people forget that not everyone has recovered. And we do see that there’s still rebuilding going on, but there are countless families that are still displaced. That are still in transitional housing or housing-unstable situations that need help.” - Kellie Battaglia, ACCESS Advancement Director. 

As always, the festival as a whole focuses on cultivating opportunities for event attendees to participate, learn, and engage with festival artists in addition to raising funds for Almeda Wildfire recovery programs. 

2023 Ashland World Music Festival Events (All events are FREE):  

  • Percussion Workshop: Friday, May 26. 5 - 6pm. Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall Lawn. 

  • Musician Talk Back (NEW): Saturday, May 27. 2-3pm. Ashland Library. Gresham Room.

  • The HeartBeat Stories: Saturday, May 27. 5-7pm. Litha Park Butler Bandshell.

  • Park Performances: Sunday, May 28. 12 - 5pm. Litha Park Butler Bandshell. 

  • Plaza Community Dance (NEW): Sunday, May 28. 5:30- 7pm. Downtown Ashland Plaza.  

  • SoundWalk: Downtown Ashland. Friday May 26-Monday, May 29. 6am-9pm daily. 

2023 AWMF Artists:

The Ashland World Music Festival is co-produced by Rogue World Music and the Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission. Additional collaborating entities include the SOU Music Department, the Ashland Branch of the Jackson County Library Services, and the Ashland Chamber of Commerce. Founded 2016, the Ashland World Music Festival has been a free community event for the Rogue Valley Community. In 2020, it also became a fundraiser for nonprofit programs directly serving those impacted by the 2020 Almeda Wildfire. 

  

For ongoing updates about the AWMF line up, fundraiser progress, and all the event details of the 2023 Ashland World Music Festival,  follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RogueWorldMusic/) or Instagram (instagram.com/rogueworldmusic/) or join our mailing list (www.rogueworldmusic.org/contactrwm).

 
RWM Admin