June 2009 Archives

Anti-Flag is giving fans at the Vans Warped Tour the opportunity to donate to the African Well Fund and a chance to win a Sparrow Guitar.

"The guitar is a one-of-a-kind Sparrow Guitar, hand-painted, it features the Anti-Flag 'GunStar' logo and the African Well Fund logo," said Chris 2, bassist and vocalist for the band. "It plays great and looks amazing."

Fans can stop by the Anti-Flag merchandise booth during one of the band's 32 Vans Warped Tour dates to donate to AWF and be automatically entered into a drawing to win the guitar. The winner will be notified via e-mail by Sept. 1.

"We have a great relationship with the AWF; we like to push the envelope with what
bands are expected to do," Chris 2 said. "At each Warped Tour stop we will be holding meet and greets at our merchandise tent. We saw this as an opportunity to give the Anti-Flag community a chance to help others and create a tangible victory in the progress of humanity."

Anti-Flag previously raised money for AWF on its spring 2007 tour. The group collected $2,000 that helped to build wells at schools in Northern Uganda through AWF's partnership with Invisible Children. The band has similar ambitions for this tour.

"We were shocked when we found out how little it actually costs to help bring clean, drinkable water to Africa," Chris 2 said. "We have no specific monetary goal in mind, however, it would be awesome to raise enough to build a physical well in a place that needs it."

The Vans Warped Tour, featuring Anti-Flag, launches Friday, June 26 at the Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. Click here for the complete list of Vans Warped Tour shows the band is playing. Visit the band's official Web site here.

The African Well Fund raised $27,119.68 to fund a water project in Liberia during the seventh annual Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraiser. The "70 Days to Change the World" fundraiser was held between March 2 and May 10, Bono's birthday, and included four eBay auctions.

In honor of Adam Clayton's March 13 birthday, an "Under the Blood Red Sky" reissue CD/DVD signed by Bono, Edge and Adam was auctioned for a winning bid of $449. An anonymous supporter donated a "Joshua Tree" LP signed by Bono, Edge and Adam that fetched $610. Tickets for the North American opening night show of U2's 360 Tour in Chicago went for $346. Tickets for the closing night show in Vancouver went for $140.

The money raised will go toward funding a $29,996 water, health and hygiene improvement project in Nimba County, Liberia, that will be implemented by Africare. Learn more about the project here.

All donors to the Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraiser were invited to add their names to a card that will be sent to Bono care of Principle Management. View the card here.

Thank you to everyone who supported the seventh annual Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraiser! Stay tuned to the AWF homepage for updates on the progress of the Nimba County, Liberia, project as it gets underway in the coming months.