TOM WAITS TO SCALP TIX FOR CHARITY
06/10/2008

By Fred Mills
In order to benefit several worthy causes, Tom Waits announced today that he is auctioning off 5 pair of premium tickets to his “Glitter and Doom” tour shows in Phoenix, Houston, Columbus, and Atlanta. All four are sold out.
The auctions start tomorrow, Wednesday, June 11, at 10am (Pacific time) at Ticketmaster.com. The auction for the Phoenix show is a quick one: it will end Friday, June 13 at noon Pacific. The other three auctions will end Thursday, June 19 at noon Pacific.
“Some folks prefer to pay more, you get a good seat, a good
tax write off
and a good feeling for helping for your needy neighbors,” said Waits, in a
statement. “It's
scalping for charity.”
(Waits fans will recall that the Bard of Bawl has a history of going up against the scalpers; on the 2006 “Orphans” tour he went to great lengths to ensure that tickets got into the hands of fans and not brokers. As tour manager Stuart Ross told yours truly while the tour was underway, “It [thwarting scalpers] can be done. The problem is that most acts don’t care. But if you really want to crimp the style of the scalpers, all we’re really doing is modifying the delivery option. We’re not reinventing the wheel. By not actually putting tickets in the hands of anybody until the day of the show, and advertising and letting everyone know that the tickets are not transferable and only the original buyer can pick the tickets up, then we’ve eliminated 99.9% of the game.”)
***
The charities (and related contact info) that the auctions will benefit are as follow. Read up - this is stuff you oughta know about, right?
The Young Adult & Family Center - UCSF - In Honor of Dr. Kim Norman
The Young Adult & Family Center (YAF) at UCSF is dedicated to innovation the creation of clinical services, clinical training, clinical research, health education, outreach and public policy advocacy for the benefit of adolescents and young adults aged 12-24 and their families. Our mission is to advance adolescent and transitional age youth's mental health in all communities, with a special emphasis on the most vulnerable, through leadership in clinical care, clinical research, education, outreach and public policy.
The Young Adult & Family Center - UCSF
Department of Psychiatry
University of California, San Francisco
401 Parnassus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94143-0984
415-476-7000
email: Kim.Norman@ucsf.edu
http://psych.ucsf.edu/lpphc.aspx?id=2374
Summerfield Waldorf School
Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm provides an inspiring curriculum based on the developmental needs of the whole child. The school and farm is situated on 38 acres in Sonoma County, California. Summerfield’s educational mission is to create a supportive environment that nurtures the development and education of our students. And, in turn, our students receive the foundation they need to contribute to their own communities and the wider world. It is a well balanced classical curriculum where music, arts, and practical work enliven our students’ academic achievement. Waldorf education is now the largest private school system in the world.
Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm
655 Willowside Road
Santa Rosa, Ca. 95401
(707) 575-7194
Children's Village of Sonoma County - In Honor of Georgia Lee Moses
Children’s Village of Sonoma County is an innovative foster care home for children and youth in foster care. We opened its first four homes in August 2006 serving children and their siblings in foster care. We are a community care facility serving children and youth in foster care who are unlikely to be adopted or re-unified with biological parents. Our program is the first of its kind to place on-site volunteer grandparents assisted by Village “parents,” professional therapeutic staff and 100+ volunteers – all of whom are guided by the notion to create a loving, nurturing and supportive family atmosphere for the kids. The Village concept was a dream of Founder and Executive Director, Lia Rowley. She was spurred to action to create an alternative to the foster care setting after working with vulnerable populations for three decades and after learning of the murder of a 12 year old girl she knew, Georgia Moses.
Margherita Gudenzi
Fund Development Manager
THE CHILDREN'S VILLAGE OF SONOMA COUNTY
Tel. 707.566-7044
NAMI - Sonoma County - In Honor of Jermiah Chass*
NAMI Sonoma County is a grassroots family and client organization, dedicated to improving the lives of all people affected by mental health challenges. Our mission is education, support and advocacy. We provide classes, support groups, art therapy, resources and referrals, and a library. Some of our services are in Spanish, and all are provided at no charge.
*Jermiah Chass, 16, was a much loved family and community member and an excellent student at Analy High School, Sebastopl, California.He was shot to death by police responding to a 911 emergency call from his parents, who were trying to get the mentally distressed boy to the hospital. Jeremiah was the first of four mentally distressed individuals shot dead by police in response to 911 calls in little more than a year. Obviously, there is a profound lack of understanding and training of officers who are sent out on these calls. One of NAMI's goals is to prevent further casualties and to work with local authorities providing police the necessary training and education to respond.
NAMI Sonoma County
1717 Yulupa Ave
Santa Rosa CA 95405
707.527.6655
Catholic Charities
The largest provider of homeless services in California’s Redwood Empire, between the Golden Gate Bridge and Oregon, is Catholic Charities. The Family Support Center serves children and their parents, 130 people daily, providing food, shelter, on-site childcare, medical care, a school liaison and tutoring, and a teen center, while helping homeless parents find jobs, housing, and the help they need to address tough issues such as domestic violence, parenting skills, mental illness or chemical dependency.
The Homeless Service Center is a daytime drop-in center for single adults and couples, providing 100 clients per day with showers, laundry, storage, telephone/message service, mail, community referrals and intake for four other shelters and emergency sick beds. All told, Catholic Charities assists over 300 people each night at six shelters, focusing on immediate needs and crises, especially for children, while moving adult clients and parents towards independence.
Catholic Charities
PO Box 4900 Santa Rosa CA 95402
(707) 528-8712










