Project Caraoke Has Chosen Denver Actors Fund As Its First Beneficiary

Project Careaoke, a new all-volunteer organization that exists to support a variety of grassroots, underfunded Colorado nonprofits by sponsoring karaoke-themed events on their behalf, has chosen Denver Actors Fund as its first beneficiary. On September 9, Project Careaoke will launch with a fun-filled evening at The Venue that is expected to result in the single biggest infusion of funds to the Denver Actors Fund in its five-year history. Tickets ($12) are now on sale at projectcareaoke.org

The entertaining program will include friendly competition between some of Colorado's powerhouse musical-theatre performers - all of whom have received DAF assistance at some point. Each will sing a favorite karaoke song, with audiences voting on a champion with their donations. There also will be a live-art exhibition featuring local artist Hayley Steiner, and a live silent auction for items including a ticket to a famously canceled Led Zeppelin concert and unique, donated artwork from local Colorado artists. The evening takes place from 5-10 p.m. on Sunday, September 9, at The Venue, located at 1451 Cortez St. in Denver (Highway 36 and Pecos Street) and will culminate with a live concert by popular Denver rock band Float Like a Buffalo.

The evening's hosts will be Jayson Payne from Jammin' DJs and award-winning Denver comic actor Eric Mather. Among the confirmed karaoke performers are Faith Goins and Faith Ford, both of whom will appear next month in Town Hall Arts Center's Green Day musical American Idiot; Melissa Swift-Sawyer, who starred for more than four years in the Denver Center's long-running hit Always ... Patsy Cline; and Traci J. Kern, vocal coach to many of the area's top performers.

The Denver Actors Fund is a modest source of immediate financial and practical relief when members of the Colorado theater community find themselves in situational medical need ranging from chemotherapy to car accidents to dental emergencies. The DAF, founded by former Denver Post theatre critic John Moore in 2013, has made more than $255,000 available to local theatre artists, along with hundreds of hours of service by more than 60 DAF volunteers.

Project Careaoke is the brainchild of co-founders Shayao McFarland and Stephanie Strong, who formed their nonprofit to give back to the local communities they love. McFarland has professional experience with a wide sector of businesses including Hewlett-Packard, Xerox Corporation and Grubb & Ellis Commercial Real Estate. Strong has 15 years of professional experience, including eight years with non-profits. "Many worthy, smaller, charitable organizations in Colorado are under-supported," McFarland said. "Their mission is to serve, not fundraise."

Tickets $12 ($15 day of event) on sale now at projectcareaoke.org