Benefit concert Oct. 1

From the Daily Mississippian:

Ole Miss is hosting “Mississippi Rising,” a benefit gala Concert that will take place on Oct. 1 at the Tad Smith Coliseum and will feature well-known celebrities. The concert will assist victims of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast.

Confirmed entertainers include Morgan Freeman, Ray Romano, Whoopi Goldberg, Jason Alexander, Sela Ward, Marilu Henner, Kathie Lee Gifford, John Grisham, Kathy Ireland, Lance Bass, Delta Burke, Gerald McRaney, Jean Smart, Debbie Allen, Doris Roberts, Mary Haskell, Gary Morris, Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis, Jr. and Steve Azar.

Sam Haskell, university alumnus and former Worldwide Head of Television for The William Morris Agency, and Lanny Griffith, chief executive officer of Washington, DC-based lobbying firm Barbour Griffith & Rogers, LLC are organizing the concert. Both are Mississippi natives.

The concert is being funded by a contribution from the United Health Foundation in Minnesota that was given to the MS Hurricane Recovery Fund. Corporate sponsorships are being solicited by a national finance team. All proceeds raised by this event will go to the MS Hurricane Recovery Fund or The Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Recovery Fund. The concert will consist of celebrities talking about the effects of Hurricane Katrina along with entertainment.

Tickets are on sale at the Coliseum’s box office or online at www.olemissticketoffice.com. Ticket prices are $30 for seats in the stands and $100 for floor seats.

Anyone interested in volunteering can call or stop by the Ford Center, the Central Ticket office or the Student Union information desk. Volunteer forms are online at www.olemiss.edu/fordcenter/volunteer