Ken Kragen, Organizer of 'We Are The World,' Joins Home Aid, a Virtual Fundraising Event to Benefit America's Homeless, Children, and Veterans

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ken Kragen has signed on with Home Aid, a virtual fundraising benefit event to help America's homeless families, children, and veterans, to be held November 18-19, 2011 in Nashville, TN and New Orleans, LA during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

"This is the single biggest charity event to focus on these issues since 'We Are the World,' and 'Hands Across America,'" said Kragen, who had raised millions to fight hunger with those two projects in the mid 1980s. "It's a natural for me to be involved in Home Aid with my more than three decades of work on this issue beginning with my management of the late Harry Chapin back in the 1970s, and continuing with active roles in the production of 'LiveAid' and 'NetAid.'"

Kragen joins media company Be The Media in developing strategies and helping to secure talent and sponsors for the groundbreaking Home Aid event.

He organized Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, and more than 40 other artists to create the group USA for Africa. The charity song they recorded, 'We Are the World,' became the biggest-selling single of all time and a top-selling album, raising over $64 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the United States. "Hands Across America" added another $34 million to that total.

Now Kragen is enlisting artists to contribute video and live performances to appear on the HomeAid.net website. Funds raised from the event will go to Home Aid and other nonprofits that fight homelessness and help those who are homeless due to natural disasters.

"I'm honored to be working with the legendary Ken Kragen on this historic event, especially considering that over 95% of the acts he managed have become superstars, and 90% of the projects he created and spearheaded have achieved success," said David Mathison, CEO of Be The Media.

While teaming up with Kragen will help Home Aid secure major celebrities and performers, the producers expect much of the event to be driven by grassroots fan participation.

"You don't have to donate money to make a difference," said Mathison. "I want fans out there to tweet their favorite artists or email their booking agents, and tell them to be part of this event. With 2010 being the worst year on record for CD sales and touring, we want to offer artists a whole new platform for promotion, with almost limitless reach."

The event's official website, http://www.HomeAid.net, has many ways for people to participate and help out. Individuals can use the site to host live Internet "House Parties" to raise awareness and solicit donations. They can also upload videos that will be part of the Home Aid event, and soon will be able to download a mobile application for their Android or iPhone.

On February 28, 2011, Mathison will be speaking at Belmont University's New Century Journalism Program in Nashville, TN, and then meeting with Home Aid celebrities and sponsors at the Country Radio Broadcasters conference. Mathison was originally scheduled to speak at Belmont University on May 3, 2010, but cancelled when Nashville was hit with a 500-year flood. This tragedy partly inspired him to found Home Aid to benefit the homeless and Americans who are affected by natural disasters.

For sponsorship, media, and press inquiries, please email [email protected]

About Home Aid America (http://www.HomeAid.net)

Home Aid America is a leading national non-profit provider of housing for today's homeless. The organization builds and maintains shelters where homeless families and individuals, more than one million of whom are children, can rebuild their lives.

Founded in 1989 by the Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIA/SC), an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Home Aid has now completed more than 200 homeless shelters nationwide, costing in excess of $170 million of which approximately 50 percent has been donated by the building industry. More than 100,000 Americans have been given the opportunity to rebuild their lives in Home Aid facilities.

Be The Media  (http://www.BeTheMedia.com)

Be The Media helps celebrities and businesses spread the buzz about their work.

From 1994-1999, Mathison was Vice President with Reuters, the world's largest news agency, where he pioneered online content syndication. As founder and CEO of the Kinecta Corporation (now part of Oracle), he raised $30 million in under 2 years. Mathison has a Masters from Columbia University. For more information, please go to http://www.BeTheMedia.com  

MEDIA: For photos and video of David Mathison, Ken Kragen, and We Are the World featuring Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, and Kenny Rogers, please visit: http://www.homeaid.net/pages/team.

SOURCE Be The Media