One of the biggest parties in the Delta, Steve Azar’s Delta Soul Celebrity Golf and Charity Event, won’t be happening live due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there will be a chance for everyone to join in this year.
Since Azar’s friends can’t make it to Greenville, and he wants to keep the ball rolling on fundraising for the St. Cecilia Foundation, there will be a live online event on Thursday from 4-6 p.m.
The event will feature several past performers and greetings from celebrity attendants, and, importantly, there will be an opportunity to donate to the cause. The event can be found at the following sites: https://www.facebook.com/steveazarlive and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDm2N5lE6fw&feature=youtu.be. The event can also be accessed by sending the text message deltasoul2020 to 91999.
While disheartened that the event won’t be held in Greenville, Azar said he will do all he can to keep the momentum the event has built over the past several years moving in a positive direction.
“Gwen and I will fight to the bitter end on that,” Azar said. “The results we are seeing from this giving are all just fantastic. The smiles it brings and the art it makes.”
The charity event is a benefit for the Steve Azar St. Cecilia Foundation, which supports arts and music in the Mississippi Delta.
The online event was the brainchild of Steve’s brother, Freddy Azar, who is on the board of both the St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Delta Soul.
“My brother, Freddy, said if we can’t get together, we still have got to do a day of giving,” Azar said.
There won’t be any auction items but there are still opportunities for corporate giving and a donate button during the live event.
While donations will still be made, Azar said he is most concerned with the loss of the economic impact of the event in Greenville.
“There are a lot of people who depend on this tournament for a part of their livelihood,” Azar said. “By not having it, we can’t fill up hotels or restaurants. It’s just a never-ending trail of blood.”
The logistics of travel from the more than 25 states from where attendants hail, were just too difficult to manage in the time of COVID-19. “Just a lot of people get affected and it hurts us,” Azar said.
There’s no fee for admission and the event online is open to the public.
