Archive

Tweet for Katie Reider today

If you haven’t gotten down with the latest and greatest in social networking tools, now might be the perfect time to create a Twitter account (and follow me @chubbyjones while you’re at it). Not only is it a great way to tell your friends what kind of beer you’re drinking or see what Tegan and Sara are doing, but it has proven to be a great vehicle for spreading the word about important causes. Such is the case with 3 Tweets 4 Katie, which will be the “World’s Largest Tweet-Up.”

Some of you may know, Cincinnati has a great music scene and out musician Katie Reider was a huge part of it. She won five Cincinnati music awards and even had songs featured on various television shows, like Dawson’s Creek. She was truly a gifted singer/songwriter with a large and devoted fan base.

On top of being a musician, she was also a gay rights activist. Katie and her partner, Karen, got married and had two children together before Reider was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer that attacked the left side of her face. She ended up blind in one eye and without the ability to do what she did best: sing. For two years she fought the disease but on July 14, 2008, she lost the battle.

Katie’s friends, family and the organizers of The Taste of Cincinnati have created the Tweet Up event to raise money and awareness for her cause. For just $1, you can download her music and “100% of the proceeds go to Katie Reider’s 365-day web based benefit fund to help support Katie and her family with the expenses that have accumulated over these last two years because of Katie’s rare medical condition.”

Their goal is to have 500,000 downloads for the year, which, shouldn’t be too difficult. I can give up my delicious lunch at Subway for a day or ride my bike to work instead of paying for the bus. Not only do I know my money is going to a great cause, but selfishly I’m getting great music out of the deal too!

You can watch a video about Katie here (Warning: You may cry.)

Spread the word by posting something on your blog, Twitter, MySpace, inter-office email, &mdash write it on the bathroom walls (but don’t tell anyone I told you to do so). Even better, if you’re in Cincinnati from May 23-25, you can attend the Tweet-Up in person at the Taste of Cincinnati. She is obviously missed by everyone who encountered her, but this is a great way to keep her voice alive.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button