*
http://eugenedailynews.com/2012/04/16/charity-to-hold-concert-in-honor-of-nima-gibbas-memory/
*

*Charity to Hold Concert in Honor of Nima Gibba’s Memory*

Nate Gartrell, EDN
 <http://eugenedailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/NimaGibba.jpg>

A picture of Nima at age 11. Photo courtesy of Eliman Gibba

Roughly one year ago, the parents of Nima Gibba, the Eugene girl killed in
one of the city’s deadliest car crashes, sought to create a charity
foundation<http://eugenedailynews.com/2011/07/17/honoring-her-spirit-parents-of-girl-killed-in-crash-to-start-charity/>in
her name.

In January, they achieved that
goal<http://eugenedailynews.com/2012/01/08/parents-of-girl-killed-in-crash-begin-charity-foundation/>;
Nima’s Wish became a registered non-profit, dedicated to bringing aid to
impoverished West Africans. Now, the charity foundation is set to hold its
first fundraiser, a concert, *on May 3, 2012, from 6:30-Midnight at the
McDonald Theatre in Eugene.*

*The concert, called Spring Forward, will feature popular local acts Eleven
Eyes, and The Sugar Beets*. Blues player Mike Tracey, and the local duo
Bajuana Tea will do sets as well.

Also performing will be the popular local band Sol
Seed<http://eugenedailynews.com/2012/02/15/a-conversation-with-benny-pezzano-of-sol-seed/>,
which recently returned from a tour in California. A six-person group, Sol
Seed produces a reggae/funk
sound<http://www.solseedmusic.com/index/Sol_Seed_Music.html>,
and was recently selected as the people’s choice for WOW Hall’s Best New
Act in 2001.

The Denbaya Drum and Dance group will also perform, as well as a Hip-hop
dance group from the University of Oregon

“We want to start grassroots and involve as many groups as we can,” Eliman
Gibba, Nima’s father, said. “It just makes sense to bring in as many people
as possible.”

The Sugar Beets <http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sugarbeets3> play danceable folk
rock and have a strong local following. They’re also scheduled to headline
the Burnt Woodstock <http://www.burntwoodsstock.com/> festival in July. *The
members of Sugar Beets met at their University of Oregon dorm hall, and and
the band has stayed together for the 22 years since, Marty Chilla, guitar
player and singer for the band, said.*

“We still have so much fun, so we keep on going,” Chilla said. “It’s one of
the big bright spots and joys of our lives to play together.”

Eleven Eyes <http://eugenedailynews.com/2011/09/22/eleven-eyes/> member Tim
McLaughlin<http://eugenedailynews.com/2012/04/14/a-conversation-with-tim-mclaughlin-from-eleven-eyes/>,
who plays mostly trumpet, said that his group plays frequent charity shows,
but that the Nima’s Wish founders seemed particularly organized and
dedicated.

“When someone’s going to this amount of effort for an event, especially for
a good cause, it’s nice to be a part of it,” McLaughlin said.

*Some of the money raised from the concert will go towards providing
immediate aid to West Africa, and some will be used to organize a larger
musical fundraiser during the summer*, Nima’s stepmother Alexandra Sianis,
who runs the non-profit with Eliman, said.
 <http://eugenedailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/P1060226.jpg>

Nima's tombstone is engraved with the phrase "Hanken nu bom," which in
Eliman's language means, "Keep on dancing."

“We’d like to have a big summer event, with workshops,” Sianis said, to
educate people about social issues in Gambia. *She and Eliman want to raise
money to provide impoverished Gambians with efficient wood-burning
stoves<http://eugenedailynews.com/2011/07/08/lane-county-home-to-leading-humanitarian-research-center/>,
solar water pumps, and to teach them to farm more sustainably.*

KMTR’s Angela Brauer has agreed to be the event’s emcee. She’s covered the
Gibba family for the last couple years, and said *she’s most impressed that
Eliman and Sianis have publicly emphasized that they harbor no hatred
towards the person who was convicted of causing Nima’s death.*

“Many families in their position will ask for the worst to happen [to the
perpetrator], and understandably so,” Brauer said. “But they
haven’t–they’re a special family.”

Nima was 11 years old in 2009 when she was killed, while carpooling home
from school, by a drunk driver, who initiated the crash by running a red
light. Heather Mulgrave, 36, Connie Vermilyea, 34, and Jaziah Vermilyea,
10, were also killed.

A close friend of Nima’s, Jakobi Mulgrave, then 10, was seriously hurt, but
survived and recovered from his physical injuries. Matthew Ellmers, the man
responsible for the accident, is currently serving a 20-year prison
sentence.

The couple dedicated Nima’s Wish to raising money for aid to impoverished
Gambians because much of Nima’s ancestry is based there. *Eliman is a
Gambian citizen, and the couple traveled there in 2010 to visit family and
give Nima’s clothing and toys to Gambian schoolchildren.*
 <http://eugenedailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/A.Grass_.4.jpg>

The Eleven Eyes band. Photo courtesy of Tim McLaughlin

*Because Nima attended Kennedy Middle school and was passionate about
dancing, students from there will be performing dance routines during the
intervals*. Some of Nima’s friends will also do dance routines.

*All acts on the bill have agreed to donate their time, which has been a
great help for Nima’s Wish, Sianis and Eliman said.*

“It’s really heartwarming that they’re willing to extend their hearts for
the cause,” Sianis said of the bands.

A late scratch to the show was Jah Sun, a well-known reggae artist from
Humboldt County. *Jah Sun, who also goes by Jason McCommas, was forced to
remove his name from the bill because he’d previously agreed to travel to
Africa to work on a project with Ethiopian children, called Youths of
Shasha.*

“No parent should have to go through what the Gibba family is going
through,” Jah Sun said, when he was still scheduled to play. “As a father,
my heart goes out to them for their loss, and the other families as well.”

*Jah Sun’s publicist, Elliot Blair, said that nothing short of an
international engagement would have kept Jah Sun from the show, and that
they were both sorry he couldn’t make it. Sol Seed has agreed to perform in
his place.*

The McDonald Theater is located at 1010 Willamette St., in Eugene. Doors
will open at 6 p.m. Ticket prices are as follows: $18 if placed in advance,
$20 at the door, and $15 with a valid student identification.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-992-TIXX or through
TicketsWest<http://ev12.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS%3aTWS%3aPMCD12:PMCD0503%3a&linkID=twspok>


 <http://eugenedailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/nimapost4.6.jpg>

The lineup for Spring Forward. Please note that Sol Seed is now slated to
play in Jah Sun's place.


-- 
-Laye
==============================
"With fair speech thou might have thy will,
With it thou might thy self spoil."
--The R.M


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