One
of Country music’s top male vocalists, Collin Raye, is combining forces with Utah
native, Jared Osmond, of the famed Osmond family, for a benefit concert in
support of stopping child abuse. The
show will take place Monday, May 5, 2008 at the Provo Marriott Hotel and
Conference Center, 101 West 100 North, Provo, Utah, 6:00 pm. All proceeds from the concert will go to the
Utah Valley Family Support and Treatment
Center. Tickets are $100 per seat or $1,000 per table
that seats ten people. Tickets may be
purchased online at innocentones.org.
Also featured in the benefit concert are Merrill Osmond, Nathan Osmond
and Mrs. Utah,
Heather Osmond. There will also be a silent auction with items donated by area
businesses. More information found at www.innocentones.org.
Osmond
has been a long-time advocate of child welfare and years ago came across the ugly reality of child abuse with a
former tenant of his rental property. “Children are suffering from a
hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect,” says Osmond. “While 3-million
reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States, experts estimate
that the actual number of incidents of abuse and neglect is three times greater
than reporter. In Utah
County alone ten kids are
pulled out of their homes every day because of abuse. With statistics like this
I just couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”
Osmond
discovered a wonderful healing place for these abused children in the Utah
Valley Family Support and Treatment
Center. The facility opened its doors in (need date
and year) and provides prevention education programs to local schools, a Crisis
Respite Nursery for families in crisis, and therapy classes for adults and
children. Future plans include satellite locations
of the Crisis Respite Nursery to make it more accessible to families outside of
the Orem area
and has plans to hire a recreation therapist. The Center is a non-profit
organization that depends on the help of volunteers and donations.
Raye, who has been a long-time supporter
of children’s charities, was happy to help Osmond in his fight against child
abuse. Raye’s latest CD, Selected Hits, is the 13th
album of his career and features live performances of some of his mega-hits,
““Love Me”, “I Think About You”, “In This Life”, “Little Rock”, and “Not That
Different.” The two new songs on the
project are “Soldier’s Prayer” and “Quitters.”
Raye has enjoyed an illustrious career with 15 #1 hits, 24 top-ten
songs, 15
#1 videos, along with 5 ACM and 6 CMA nominations. Currently, Raye is one of the top ten ranked
artists on MySpace.com.
After a thirteen year break from the
music business Osmond has released his second CD, Innocent Ones and all profits from the album will go to
abused children. After deciding the
world didn’t need another singing Osmond, Jared became a successful local
businessman with several rental properties.
After discovering that one of his tenants had abused a two-year-old
child, that’s when the inspiration came for Osmond to lift his voice for the
needy children. Osmond details the stories that have inspired the songs on Innocent Ones on his website,
www.jaredosmond.com.
For more information about the concert
and ticket information please call the Utah Valley Family Support and Treatment Center, 801.229.1181.
