Amplify My Community announces $50,000 gift to two local charities following the 2024 Amplify Decatur Music Festival

Amplify My Community has directed more than $625,000 to community-based nonprofits since 2011

May 2, 2024 (Decatur, GA) — The nonprofit organization Amplify My Community is announcing a combined total gift of $50,000 to Decatur Cooperative Ministry (DCM) and Decatur Education Foundation (DEF) to aid their vital missions. The unrestricted gift to these charities was made possible by funds generated from the Amplify Decatur Music Festival held April 11-14.

Amplify Decatur Music Festival, presented by Lenz and produced in partnership with Eddie’s Attic, featured an all-day, ticketed concert Saturday, April 13 on the Decatur Square with performances by Grammy-winning acts Melissa Etheridge and the Blind Boys of Alabama, as well as Dawes, Run Katie Run, and Jitterbug.

Additional events included a Thursday night comedy show at Waller’s Coffee Shop; free Friday night performances on and around the Decatur Square; and a Bruce Springsteen tribute show Sunday night at Eddie’s Attic.

To date, Amplify has donated more than $625,000 in unrestricted gifts to locally oriented anti-homelessness and poverty-focused organizations — including more than $410,000 in Decatur.

“We are thrilled to be able to make this gift to two incredibly worthy groups,” says Drew Robinson, president of the Amplify My Community board. “Amplify’s success is truly a testament to the strength of our community – starting from (festival director) Christine Mahin’s leadership, and including all of our generous sponsors, our wonderful volunteers, the city of Decatur, and local business partners.”

2024 Amplify Decatur Music Festival sponsors: Decatur Package Store, Oakhurst Realty Partners, Savannah Distributing Co., Creature Comforts Brewing Co., Iris and Bruce Feinberg, Three Taverns Craft Beers, Decatur Travel and Tourism, B98.5, Leafmore Group, WABE, Peak Parking, Atlanta United, Brick Store Pub, Captains of Revelry, CSS, Plumb Works, Trōv Home, Topo Chico, The Caldwell Family of East Lake, and Scott D. Miller MD.

Amplify My Community was founded in 2010 and is based in Decatur, Georgia. Its mission is to leverage the universal love of music to fight poverty at the local level. To date, Amplify has produced more than 120 concerts, and raised and donated more than $625,000 in unrestricted gifts to locally oriented anti-homelessness and poverty-focused organizations — including more than $410,000 in Decatur. Amplify has held concert series in Atlanta, Athens, Decatur, Suwanee, and Duluth, Georgia; Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlottesville, Virginia, and featured acts such as Indigo Girls, Lucinda Williams, Ben Harper, Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples, Blind Boys of Alabama, Old Crow Medicine Show, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Rodney Crowell, The War & Treaty, Patty Griffin, James McMurtry, John Paul White, Son Volt, Justin Townes Earle, Bruce Hornsby, Milk Carton Kids, Ricky Skaggs, Julien Baker, Drivin’ N Cryin’, Junior Brown, Amanda Shires, Bobby Bare, Jr., Lucero, Colin Meloy, The Mavericks, Shawn Mullins, The Lone Bellow, The Jayhawks, Jay Farrar, and Harold Holloway & Co.

Decatur Cooperative Ministry’s mission is to help families facing homelessness settle into safe, stable homes and build healthy lives filled with peace, hope, and opportunity. Founded in 1969, Decatur Cooperative Ministry (DCM) offers transitional housing, shelter, homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing programs. DMC’s programs span the entire spectrum of currently recognized homelessness interventions. To accomplish this, DCM partners with 35 congregations from 14 denominations as well as private foundations, universities and schools, government agencies, community groups, and local businesses.

Decatur Education Foundation works together with the City Schools of Decatur, Decatur Housing Authority, and City of Decatur to bolster community efforts and ensure that ALL students have the resources, opportunities, and experiences in order to foster their growth and ensure their academic success.