Grammy and Stellar Award nominated recording vocalists Kenny Lattimore and Chante’ Moore are scheduled to perform a charity concert featuring songs from their bestselling R&B and gospel hits November 29 at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage. The husband
Grammy and Stellar Award nominated recording vocalists Kenny Lattimore and Chante’ Moore are scheduled to perform a charity concert featuring songs from their bestselling R&B and gospel hits November 29 at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage. The husband and wife team will also introduce songs from their brand new solo project. Net proceeds will benefit Autism Speaks.
Lattimore and Moore are performing as a special tribute to their friend Darrell Hill’s 50th birthday and in honor of his special annual fundraising event for autism, which effects many children.
“Chante’ and I are very excited to help bring more attention to both the awareness and earl diagnosis of autism,” Lattimore said. “It’s a cause that has a personal family connection for me because of my 6-year-old nephew Jahmique’s struggle.”
“I’ll never forget how he and our son Kenny Jr., who are very close in age, would play together as toddlers at the same level. Eventually we noticed that Jah wasn’t learning to speak,” Kenny explained. “He was an exceptionally gifted toy builder, as he took things apart and put them back together; however, we started to lose him because he was limited only to that attention focus.”
“As a result of an early diagnosis that Jahmique was living with autism, he is now enrolled in a special school that has been very instrumental in improving his social development. Sometimes parents make the mistake of assuming their child will grow out of behavior that is questionable and they fail to seek professional care for this devastating disease.”
Special guests performing for the Thanksgiving weekend fundraising concert include popular singer Baritone and Grammy award-winning songwriter, producer/singer Gordon Chambers. Yours truly is opening the benefit with a special Negro spiritual, I Want Jesus To Walk With Me arranged by Edward Boatner.
The special benefit will be hosted by Art “Chat Daddy” Sims.
Darrell Hill has encountered many serious problems during his development but has triumphed.
“I am constantly asked the same question: ‘Why are you having a fundraiser for autism?’” he says.
“For me, autism advocacy is a very personal family concern. For the past 15 years, I have watched my young cousin Nyelah (a.k.a. “Nee-Nee”) struggle with pain and frustration of being unable to verbally communicate her brilliance,” Hill said. “I’ve watched her mother endure the emotional financial hardship of finding speech, occupational, and behavioral therapies and other treatments for an autistic child with no medical insurance. During our family gatherings over the years, Nee-Nee always seemed to pick me to gravitate towards. Her direct eye contact was heartbreaking because I knew she had so much to tell me but just didn’t know how.”
Following the performances of Kenny Lattimore and Chante’ Moore’s, a house music dance party will be highlighted by Brooklyn’s Cameron Da DJ.
Earl Calloway can be reached at ecalloway@chicagodefender.com.
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