Singer, songwriter, multi-award winning artist and Springfield native is remembering where he came from. John Legend, a graduate of Springfield North High School, will be raising money to support the renovation of the South High School auditorium.
South is currently undergoing renovations to become the new home of the Global Impact STEM Academy, The Greater Springfield CareerConnectED Center and Clark State Community College food science and aquaculture labs.
There are several ways to contribute to this fundraising project that Legend has sponsored. The first opportunity to donate comes through a charity platform named “Omaze.com,” where fans can bid on a variety of experiences with the artist.
According to the “Springfield News-Sun,” “fans who [are willing to] donate $10 or more to Legend’s Show Me Campaign will be entered for a chance to win a private concert. The more money donated, the more entries for the concert are awarded.”
Secondly, donators giving $25 or more will be eligible to win various levels of prizes. The prizes include — but are not limited to — t-shirts, autographed song sheets, personalized Valentine’s roses or video toasts from Legend and tickets to a scheduled performance.
“I think it’s kind of a ‘wait-and-see’ to what’s going to happen. All of that hasn’t been figured out yet,” Eddie Chambers, the director of the Wittenberg Upward Bound Trio program, said. “Springfield is going through some exciting times with John in the public eye. And anything he can giveback to the community especially to the kids would help.”
Chambers further stated: “The first time I heard John sing, he was in about the seventh- or eighth-grade and he performed at our summer awards banquet as part of the Par Tolliver Gospel Choir. He was a young guy, but even then he got two standing ovations.”
The Legend family was contacted for comment about why the award-winning singer wanted to embark on this journey of raising funding for the renovation of the auditorium, but they were unable to do so prior to this issue’s publication date.
