Gifts for the Homeless Raises Over $240,000 for D.C. Homeless at Fifteenth Annual “Banding Together” Concert
The Unnamed Party Named Champion in Charity’s “Battle of the Bands” Competition Among Sixteen Participating Bands from the D.C. Legal Community
Gifts for the Homeless, Inc. (GFTH) is excited to announce that returning champion The Unnamed Party again claimed the top prize at the 2018 Banding Together contest! Performing on the “Esquire Stage” at the historic Black Cat, The Unnamed Party took the top honors at the 15th annual battle-of-the-law-firm-bands competition held June 14, where sixteen different bands helped raise more than $240,000 to provide clothing to the area homeless.
The Unnamed Party’s music rocked a full house at the Black Cat, alone contributing more than $40,000 to the total raised. The band is comprised of members from law firms Fried Frank, Paul Hastings LLP, Arent Fox LLP, and Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. The Unnamed Party includes GFTH Deputy Chair V. Gerald Comizio and GFTH Board Member Tony Fabic.
Coming in first place on the “Discovery Stage” was Total B/S. Made up of musicians from Buckley Sandler, Total B/S raised more than $6,400 to help Gifts for the Homeless provide clothing for the D.C. area homeless.
Honorable mentions also go to the second and third place finishers on each stage. Attractive Nuisance, with members from Steptoe & Johnson LLP, was the runner-up on the Esquire Stage, giving an incredible performance and raising more than $22,600.
Michael Allan accepts for Attractive Nuisance, sponsored by Steptoe and Johnson
In third place on the Esquire Stage was Solely in the Interest, with members from Groom Law Group and a total fundraising of more than $11,000.
Solely in the Interest in concert
On the Discovery Stage, the runner up was Redacted, with members from Finnegan, and a fundraising total of more than $3,800.
Michael Flibbert and Brandon Korch accept for Redacted, sponsored by Finnegan
Law firm Morgan Lewis’s band, Bockius, took third place on the Discovery Stage and raised more than $2,300.
Alex Reid accepts for Bockius, sponsored by Morgan Lewis
Celebrity Emcees DeMaurice “De” Smith from the NFL Players Association and Camden Walker and Jason Samenow from The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang introduced the bands and kept the crowd entertained between sets throughout the evening. Walker, meteorologist with the Capital Weather Gang, said: “Capital Weather Gang congratulates Gifts for the Homeless on raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to help our region’s homeless population. This event is not only a highlight for our community each year, but also provides a proactive way to collect bulk winter clothes for dozens of homeless shelters to be ready for distribution come November.”
In all, Banding Together 2018 was a resounding success once again, raising $241,685 while 16 bands from throughout the D.C. legal community rocked the Black Cat’s packed crowd on June 14, 2018. As always, 100 percent of these funds will go toward purchasing clothing and other essential items for the DC-area’s homeless population. GFTH, a non-profit comprised mostly of DC-area legal professionals, supplies new and used clothing to over 70 homeless shelters and other organizations in the D.C. area.
Bart Epstein, president of Gifts for the Homeless said: “It’s an honor to work with such dedicated members of the DC legal community to not only put on an incredible show, but also to raise money for a worthy cause. Our fifteenth anniversary was nothing short of amazing, and it’s humbling to see so many people come together to show off their musical talent and compassion for our region’s homeless population. With the help of the legal community, volunteers, sponsors and donors, we raised over $240,000! We will be using every penny raised to buy warm clothing and blankets at wholesale bulk prices to meet the needs of dozens of area homeless shelters.”
GFTH wishes to thank all who made Banding Together a fun, memorable and successful night for all of the attendees. In particular, GFTH would like to thank our 2018 sponsors:
Legends Sponsors
Barbara and Arthur Bushkin
Rock Royalty Sponsors
Hogan Lovells
Superstar Sponsors
Ernst & Young LLP
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Hall of Fame Sponsors
Cooley LLP
Driven Inc.
Eversheds Sutherland
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Groom Law Group
Perkins Coie LLP
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh, PC
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Wilson-Epes Printing Inc.
Platinum Record Sponsors
Buckley Sandler LLP
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP
Fried Frank
HITT Contracting Inc.
Kenealy Vaidya LLP
Morgan Lewis
Paul Hastings LLP
Williams & Connolly LLP
Gold Record Sponsors
Consilio + Advanced Discovery
Epiq
ERM
Foley & Lardner LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
The Midtown Group
Peabody Office Furniture
Ramboll Environ
rand* construction
Special Thanks
Black Cat
Bell Visuals
Capital Weather Gang
Clyde Group
Josh Weiner – Videography
Marissa Sams Events
Gifts for the Homeless, Inc. (GFTH) is a non-profit corporation comprised of lawyers and staff from area law firms and other legal organizations that volunteer in their spare time and that has been serving the homeless of Washington, DC since 1986. GFTH holds a used clothing drive each December and holds a battle of the law firm bands charity concert each summer to serve area shelters and also raises money used to purchase new clothing for homeless men, women and children. Every dollar GFTH receives from the public through donations is used to purchase and distribute essential clothing for the homeless in the DC metropolitan area.