Gospel Music Concert To Raise Money For Charity

Gospel Music Concert To Raise Money For Charity

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Madison Ann Cundiff Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to obtaining justice and providing assistance to children and families who have been victimized, announced that it will host a benefit concert called "A Night of Gospel Music" on October 17 in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

"It's going to be an exciting and uplifting night that we hope will allow us continue and expand our work for justice and to help the many families that are truly in need of assistance," said Hope Cundiff, the president of the foundation. The organization's main purpose is to assist needy families of murdered children with funeral expenses and the educational costs of the victims' remaining siblings while spreading awareness of their plight.

"With this concert we hope to raise awareness and as much money as possible to benefit victimized children and those who love them while joining together for a night of powerful gospel music for the soul and an important educational speech by child advocate Jill Jones-Soderman," Cundiff added.

The musical line-up includes inspiring Gospel artists like Divine Mercy, Billy & Wilma Vincent, Joyce Royston and even multi-ACM and ICM award winner Tommy Brandt. The intermission will also include an informative video produced by The Madison Ann Cundiff Memorial Foundation.

The event will feature a variety of powerful speakers including Jill Jones-Soderman, the executive director of the Foundation for the Child Victims of the Family Courts and an accomplished social worker based in New York. She will address the issue of children being removed from protective parents and placed in the hands of their abusers by family courts across the nation.

"The corruption and financial incentives on the backs of children have created a cottage industry around divorce, child welfare, debt collection and mental health services that now exist to serve a government bureaucracy," said Jones-Soderman, who is also on the foundation's advisory board and is in the process of co-authoring a book with Cundiff. "Those who are exposed to the system come through it traumatized and on their knees as judges and court officers hide behind immunity to cover up their crimes."

"Madi is not alone, but she is a leader. We are gathering to mourn and remember a beloved child whose promise in life was unfulfilled, but who in death became a beacon of light for children with no voice," Jones-Soderman continued. "We hope the voices of these great singers and the audience will rise to the highest reaches of our government - to the hearts, souls and consciences of those in power - so that they know that we know of their heinous crimes. We must find a way to give a just and compassionate community of love, care and protection to children and the families who love them. We must work for a better future."

Losing a child is certainly the most traumatic and life-changing experience that a family can ever go through, but the added burden of not being able to properly bury that child is unbearable. Because of added expenditures on the victims' families, it is sometimes impossible to send their remaining children to college, which is where the foundation and the money raised through the concert come in. The mission is to help relieve a small part of that burden and let victims know that they are important.

Having experienced such a tragedy herself, Cundiff decided to create the organization in honor of her daughter Madison Ann Cundiff. At just 22-months-old, she was murdered in 2004 after a long struggle for justice. Several years later, the perpetrator was finally convicted but received only a five year sentence for reckless homicide. But Madi's legacy lives on, providing hope for other families in such tragic situations.

A Night of Gospel Music will take place on October 17, 2009, at the Elizabethtown Christian Academy Sanctuary at 401 West Poplar Street in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The concert will begin at 6 pm and is expected to run until at least 9 pm. Tickets cost $10 in advance or $15 at the door, but hurry because space is limited.

To obtain tickets as a tax-deductible donation to the Madison Ann Cundiff Memorial Foundation, please visit any of our six convenient locations in Elizabethtown: Elizabethtown Chamber of Commerce, Elizabethtown Christian Academy, Mulberry Florist & Gifts, Brown Funeral Home, Word of God Christian Bookstore or Danny Darnall Law Office. For people coming from out-of-town or state, tickets will be available at the door. Hope to see you there!

Source: Madison Ann Cundiff Memorial Foundation

CONTACT: Jill Jones-Soderman, +1-845-353-6111

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