On Thursday July 21st, the Henry Miller Library presents Get Covered – a benefit to protect Monterey county’s homeless from the harmful effects of the sun.

The event features like music including Burnt Palms (pictured), Strange Ideas, Jordan Smart, and many more local acts. It’ll be an amazing evening — RSVP here before it sells out!

 

But how, exactly, did this event come about?  Glad you asked.  Keep reading for a testimonial from the curator himself, our pal Stuart Thornton!

“I am a pale guy who has spent way too much time in the sun. Those times caught up with me last fall when my dermatologist discovered a large skin cancer tumor on my face hidden under one of my sideburns. I was very lucky that it was a basal cell, which is not near as scary as melanoma, the most aggressive life threatening skin cancer.

Thankfully, my tumor was removed but it got me thinking about all of those folks around Monterey County who don’t have much protection from the elements, especially the sun. The area’s homeless, who spend so much time outdoors, are getting hit by ultraviolet rays all day long.

Right after this realization, I had a chance meeting with homeless advocate Brian Bajari of Spero Collaborative at Monterey’s Café Lumiere. His tireless work for the underprivileged is amazing, and Brian informed me that something as simple as donating a bunch of hats could be useful in protecting the homeless from the elements.

Then I bumped into my pal Magnus Toren at the same coffee shop. When Magnus offered the Henry Miller Library stage for an evening, I knew that I had to throw an event that would secure hat donations and funds for the area homeless to help protect them from the sun.

Then my mind turned to all the superb musicians who have passed away this year. What if I had a special event at the Henry Miller Library where all attendees donated a hat to the local homeless population! And what if I could get some great local bands to do unique sets of music where they cover an act that we lost in 2016! Get Covered! came into being with the merging of those two ideas!

Now, it has expanded so that there will be a raffle to raise funds for Bajari’s homeless advocacy group Spero Collaborative. Prizes donated by generous businesses including Adventures By the Sea, Café Lumiere, Osio Theater, Sunshine Freestyle Surfshop, and more will be raffled off between music sets. All proceeds will be used by the Spero Collaborative to buy hats and sunblock for the local homeless population.

We’d love to have you enjoy this unique night of local music! Just bring a hat!”