VCU Health System and Kiss FM to Present Concert for Sickle Cell Research

By Eric Peters

The Virginia Commonwealth University Health System and 99.3/105.7 Kiss FM will host “A Party for the People 2” on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Hat Factory, 140 Virginia St., Richmond.

The night of music will feature Chuck Brown, also known as the “Godfather of Go-go,” and Richmond-based funk group “Plunky and Oneness.”

One hundred percent of the event’s proceeds will benefit the Florence Neal Cooper-Smith Initiative for Sickle Cell Research, an ongoing initiative to raise money for aggressive research directed at finding a cure for sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease is a chronic, incurable, inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with the disease experience periodic, often unexpected episodes of intense pain.

“The programs in place at VCU to help sickle cell patients are a result of the efforts of Florence Neal Cooper-Smith, a pioneer of sickle cell awareness both regionally and nationally,” said Wally Smith, M.D., medical director of the VCU Center on Health Disparities.

Tickets for the concert are $25 in advance - $20 for a limited number of VCU Health System Employees and Kiss Cash Card Holders – and $30 at the door. They are available at the Hat Factory Box office and online at http://www.hatfactoryva.com/.