478 Sings United competition raises more than $37,000 for COVID-19 relief fund

A singing competition organized by a nonprofit, media organizations and Mercer University has raised more than $37,000 to support Middle Georgia coronavirus relief efforts.

The 478 Sings United competition was created by the United Way of Central Georgia, Mercer University, Visit Macon, 100.9 FM The Creek and WGXA to generate funding for the United Way’s Central Georgia COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

The competition allows people to vote for local artists in a bracketed tournament, with each vote costing at $1 donation to the fund.

“We hit 37 grand earlier this week —we’re at $37,325 — just two rounds into the competition,” United Way Communication Director Laura Stauter said. “And all of that’s going to go straight back into the community.”

The United Way has announced six rounds of grants going to local nonprofits, schools and other agencies assisting local communities respond to COVID-19 needs. Those organizations, however, are not the only ones benefiting from the contest.

“All of our musicians that are in this contest, (there are) 32 of them, for a lot of them this is their sole income. Several of them perform at restaurants and bars, and they open up concerts; all of that’s been canceled,” Stauter said.

One of the musicians helped out by the 478 Sings United competition is Middle Georgia native Victoria Day. Day, 19, said she was excited to participate.

“It’s helped me with my singing performances and being able to get out there as a musician. Being able to compete with other musicians is always a good thing,” Day said.

According to unitedwaycg.org/Sings, the winner of the contest will receive $2,500 and the opportunity to perform at the season-opening Mercer Bears football game on Sept. 12 as part of the 2020 Ford Mercer Concert Series. They’ll also be able to record a track at Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon.

The winner of the grand prize, however, will not be the only ones receiving an award. On Tuesday, United Way announced a Redemption Round that would bring back eight artists previously eliminated from the contest.

“You know, you hate to see any of them go home at the end of the contest because you just get to know all of them and you kind of become a fan of every single one of them,” Stauter said.

“The Redemption Round will be a similar format to the main 478 Sings United contest with each vote costing voters $1 and those dollars benefiting the Central Georgia COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund,” read a United Way press release. “The musicians selected for the Redemption Round had the highest average votes for the number of rounds they participated in the main contest.”

The 478 Sings United contest, however, is more about the donations generated for the COVID-19 Relief Fund than anything else.

“At the end of the day, I just want people to go in there and vote because we’re really helping people,” Stauter said. “You hear the artists say that it’s so humbling. And so it just makes you feel like you know, you’re hearing people say we’re all in this together. And when you hear these artists say something like that, you know, it’s really true.”

Go to unitedwaycg.org/sings to hear the contestants and donate to support the Central Georgia COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

Voting for the second half of round three started Thursday and ends on Sunday at 8 a.m. The contestants are Megan Fowler vs. Blane Dunnam and Front Porch Radio vs. Bailey Grace.