STAY CLASSY ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR ELEMENTAL EXPERIENCE, A NEW ECO-FRIENDLY MUSIC FESTIVAL AND FUNDRAISER ON MISSION BAY
May 2 Event to Be Centerpiece of Homegrown Philanthropic Social Networking
Group’s Effort to Raise Money, Awareness to Help Homeless Youths
SAN DIEGO, CA – Stay Classy, San Diego’s 10,000-member philanthropic social networking group for young professionals, today announced the lineup of bands for its Elemental Experience. The May 2 music festival is part of Stay Classy’s yearlong effort to raise awareness of the plight of homeless youths in San Diego. Proceeds from the event will be used to build a homeless shelter for youths. The fundraising goal is $500,000.
Artists confirmed for Elemental Experience include Grammy-nominated Matisyahu, known for blending themes drawn from Orthodox Judaism with reggae, rock and hip hop. Other performers will include Bassnectar, Pinback, Mason Jennings, Dirty Sweet, Pete & J and Jay Nash.
The organization behind the music festival, however, is the bigger story. Formed three years ago by three young San Diego professionals, Stay Classy has amassed a membership of more than 10,000 socially conscious young professionals. They are drawn to the site by its arsenal of social networking tools and their ability to translate online social and philanthropic activity to offline social action.
“Stay Classy is among the first of the social networks to tap into young professionals’ converging interest in technology and social action,” said Scot Chisholm, the organization’s CEO and co-founder. “We’ve developed an organizing tool that lets thousands of people with similar interests come together and share their ideas. But what’s really important is the way those tools empower our members to give a unified voice to their concerns and translate their passions into action.”
The Elemental Experience is an annual event, which tackles a major social issue each year through the group fundraising efforts of the people attending the event. This year the event will benefit homeless youths in San Diego through the Stay Classy Foundation’s Campaign for Abandoned Youth. Using tools on the Stay Classy Web site (www.stayclassy.org), members will identify new causes to support in subsequent years.
To purchase tickets for the Elemental Experience, priced at $40, festival-goers must become Stay Classy members, which is free. Once tickets have been purchased, ticket holders are asked to set up a personal fundraising page through the Web site. The process takes less than a minute and provides members with social networking tools to reach out to their own online and offline networks.
Stay Classy members chose to focus on helping homeless youths because it represents one of San Diego’s most underserved populations. The Stay Classy Foundation’s partner in the initiative, San Diego Youth Services, estimates that there are thousands of abandoned children who are victims of abuse, violence or neglect. While many organizations provide services to San Diego’s homeless population, none focuses on homeless youths, 18 – 24.
Several local organizations have partnered with Stay Classy to produce Elemental Experience. They include Pacific Magazine, 91X FM, Sustainable Waves and DJ Here.
More than a music festival, the Elemental Event features a pre-show awareness walk along Mission Bay, a hosted breakfast for fundraisers and 10 hours of live music. Staging, sound and lighting for the event will be powered by the sun, and gas-powered generators, single-use plastics, Styrofoam and other environmentally harmful materials will be banned. Elemental ticket-holders can use green shuttle services and recycle materials at special stations throughout the De Anza Cove festival site.
About StayClassy.org (www.stayclassy.org)
Stay Classy is San Diego’s largest philanthropic social networking company focused on engaging young professionals in charitable initiatives through creative events, strategic partnerships and its Web site www.stayclassy.org. Founded in 2006 by a small group of dedicated San Diegans, Stay Classy has more than 10,000 members in Southern California. Over the past few years, Stay Classy has hosted some of San Diego’s largest fundraising events, including the Charity Jam, the Stay Classy Tailgate Party, and the Fire Run.
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