4th Annual Craig Murphey Memorial Fundraiser – 10/16

On October 16, 2010 Craig’s friends and family will gather at a location to be announced for a party commemorating Craig’s life, and to celebrate the joy he brought to everyone who knew him. Craig was known by most for his roaring laugh, contagious smile and outrageous dancing that kept us all entertained. A hummus cookoff, live music, and the yearly raffling off of prizes provided by the community will take place throughout the night. Craig Murphey was a young community organizer and anti-poverty advocate whose life was cut short in a tragic bike accident in 2007. He served in the VISTA National Service Program of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) and, after graduating from VISTA, worked as the community organizer for Cathedral Community Cares… at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. He coordinated and expanded the efforts of the West Harlem Action Network Against Poverty (WHANAP) and the Feed the Solution campaign. In both capacities, he worked to bring together neighborhood food pantries and soup kitchens for joint activities.

In the spirit of Craig’s life, the NYCCAH worked with WHANAP to begin the Craig Murphey Fellowship Fund to support a fellowship program focused on anti-hunger, community-based work. Continuing Craig’s legacy and work in fighting hunger, the next Craig Murphey fellow will be working on capacity building activities on-site at food pantries and soup kitchens throughout New York City.

Tickets for the yearly raffle will be available for purchase both at the venue and in advance HERE for $5 dollars each or 5 for $20. Local boutiques, bars, restaurants, artists and musicians have donated prizes ranging in value from $20 to $500 to the raffle. A percentage of the bar’s earnings for the night and the entire profit from the raffle tickets will be donated to NYCCAH and the Craig Murphey Fellowship Fund. Our goal is to raise several thousand dollars to provide a year’s salary for the next Craig Murphey fellow. Last year, we raised $4,245 in a single night, and plan on surpassing that number this year.

Check out the Facebook invite here or follow on Twitter (@CMBenefit) to stay up to date the event and prize donations and to learn how you too can contribute. For more information contact us at craigmurpheyraffle@gmail.com directly for details on how to donate prizes for the raffle.

This is an amazing community event, superb cause, and such a great evening. Please join in and spread the word….