FNX & Factory Underground Present: HOMETOWN LOVE2 2.0 Charity Barbecue and Basketball Tourmanent

FNX & Factory Underground Present: 

HOMETOWN LOVE2 2.0

Charity Barbecue and Basketball Tourmanent

CARVER CENTER

17 Academy Street,

Norwalk, CT 06850

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Factory Underground recently partnered with our music recording artist and Carver alumnus Kenneth Shuler (FNX) to help Carver Foundation of Norwalk succeed in Fairfield County's Giving Day. Now we are planning the second annual Hometown Love event at the Carver Community Center!

 The day will include a ten-team “5 on 5” full-court basketball tournament drawing players from New York and from across Connecticut. Guests will enjoy games and a grand barbecue cookout. The family-fun event will include a renowned DJ, an inflatable bounce-house, face painting and much more!

Please join premier national risk specialists Willis-Towers Watson Insurance in sponsoring the event!

The fundraising goal is to raise at least $10,000 for Carver summer camp scholarships and to collect more than 1,000 non-perishable or canned food items to be distributed to families by Person-to-Person.

DONATE HERE: https://www.carvernorwalk.org/#/hometown-love-2-saturday-52017/

FNX's original inspiration to launch Hometown Love at Carver in June 2016, (and here for another feature in The Hour) was to create a fun, interactive community-pride event, and to feed as many people as possible with a canned-food drive. Love of community is certainly reflected in the title of the event, named for one of his more personal songs. FNX’s inspiration for this event arises from his personal story that The Hour and other media have written about in the feature articles referenced above. Carver played a significant role in FNX’s academic and professional music and business success.

Carver today is the largest provider of after-school programs for middle and high school students in Norwalk.  Carver summer learning programs include Summer Enrichment (5- to 13-year-old students at two sites); Freshman Summer Success Academies for graduated 8th-grade students transitioning into 9th grade at Norwalk and Brien McMahon High Schools; and summer learning experience for 5th-grade students transitioning into middle school. Since 2005, 100 percent of Carver’s seniors have graduated on time and nearly 100% of our graduates go on to college. 85% of Carver students graduate college within 6 years.

Hometown Love Sponsorship packages:
$2,500 Presenting Sponsor

•  Name and/or logo displayed on tournament trophy
• Presenter at tournament award ceremony
• Prominent signage on event banner and full-page ad in the event program journal
• Cocktail Reception and Thank-You Concert at the Factory Underground in Norwalk
• Name and/or logo featured on Caver, FNX Music, and Factory Underground websites and social media
• Sponsor support exalted in all press relations
• Meet & greet with all VIP attendees

$1000 Hometown Love Champion

• Cocktail Reception and Thank-You Concert at the Factory Underground in Norwalk
• Signage on event banner and full-page ad in the event program journal
• Name and/or logo featured on Caver, FNX Music, and Factory Underground websites and in social media
• Sponsor support exalted in all press relations
• Meet & greet with all VIP attendees

$250 Hometown Love Team (limited to ten team sponsors)

• Basketball team sponsor with name on the team's t-shirt
• Half-page ad in event program journal
• Named on event page on Carver, FNX, and Factory Underground website and in social media

$100 Hometown Love Friend (No limit to the number of FRIENDS! Your name listed in the event program journal!)

Norwalk rapper FNX Provides Food to Families in Need (Norwalk Hour, December 26, 2016)

Photo by Erik Trautmann, Heart Connecticut Media

NORWALK — When Norwalk rapper Kenneth Shuler decided to give back this holiday season, he hoped he would be able to help four local families.

As of Christmas Day, he and a team of friends and family have provided two to three weeks of food for 11 Fairfield County families and counting.

“It’s been amazing,” Shuler said. “It’s a testament to the type of legwork the FNX team has put forth. Marc Alan (of Factory Underground) has been a big help, and it’s just been an amazing experience.”

Shuler released his debut hip-hop album under the moniker FNX (pronounced phoenix) on Black Friday. Produced by Norwalk’s Factory Underground, Shuler has been giving away the 17-track album for free, asking instead that fans donate the money they would have spent to a GoFundMe page used to purchase food for hungry families in Fairfield County.

Photo by Alex Von Kleydorff, Heart Connecticut Media

Using statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that say $250 is the cost to feed a family of four for a week, Shuler had hoped to give one week’s worth of food to one family in Norwalk, one in Stamford, one in Bridgeport and one in New Haven, selecting them with the help of local nonprofit agencies.

The fundraiser brought in $1,400. By completing the shopping himself and finding items on sale, Shuler was able to provide even more food than anticipated, feeding two families in Stamford, three in Norwalk, one in Bridgeport and two in New Haven. Shuler said the FNX team will feed an additional two families next week.

“I feel great about what we were able to do,” Shuler said. “When we got to the door of the families and I said, ‘Hi, I’m FNX and I have some food for you,’ they didn’t know what to say. Not too many people expected it. As we started to bring in the food, joy started to come by, and we started to be able to communicate. It was just a blessing. I was blessed to be able to do it.”

The fundraiser is not Shuler’s first time giving back to the community. In June, Shuler hosted the first Hometown Love Initiative event in conjunction with Factory Underground and the Carver Center. The event featured a barbecue, basketball tournament and food drive, drawing alumni and community members for an event so successful they are planning to duplicate it next year.

“We’re really happy to support people in the city of Norwalk, but also across Fairfield County,” Shuler said. “We appreciate the support of everyone who either directly donated or donated to the GoFundMe.”

Shuler’s album is available at fnxmusic.bandcamp.com, and donations can be made at gofundme.com/fnxholidayfooddrive.

Norwalk CT Rapper FNX: Changing The Culture of Hip Hop (Norwalk Hour, December 15, 2016))

Photo by Alex Von Kleydorff, Hearst Connecticut Media

Written by Kaitlyn Krasselt
Reprinted from the Norwalk Hour, December 15, 2016


[NORWALK] Kenneth Shuler’s story isn’t unusual.

He grew up in South Norwalk, a child of a broken home and a family in poverty. Depression, homelessness, domestic violence and abuse in the shelter system are all issues that have shaped his life.

Rather than fall into an endless cycle, he’s breaking the mold and building a career in music, telling a story and giving back to the community that shaped him into the artist he is today.

But the story isn’t about him, he said. It’s about everyone who’s ever dealt with those same issues. 

Photo by Alex Von Kleydorff, Hearst Connecticut Media

“My life story is very similar to a lot of people who battle class and race issues,” Shuler said. “I had a brief stay in the shelter, I grew up around mental illness and domestic violence, I slept on the floor of the pentecostal church in high school. And despite those dynamics, I can tell my story and it’s one that people like me are going through.”

Shuler released his debut hip-hop album under the moniker FNX (pronounced phoenix) on Black Friday. But he isn't selling it. Produced by Norwalk’s Factory Underground, Shuler is giving away the 17-track album for free, asking instead that fans donate the money they would have spent to a GoFundMe page he plans to use to feed hungry families in Fairfield County. [see follow up story in the Norwalk Hour, December 26, 2016 for results of the campaign].

Shuler credits his ability to break out of his family's predetermined path of poverty to Norwalk’s George Washington Carver Center, an organization he says kept him off the streets and in school. After graduating from Brian McMahon High School in 2003, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Southern Connecticut, and an MBA from the University of New Hampshire. 

Photo by Alex Von Kleydorff, Hearst Connecticut Media

In June 2016, Shuler hosted the first Hometown Love Initiative event in conjunction with Factory Underground and the Carver Center. The event featured a barbecue, basketball tournament and food drive, drawing alumni and community members for an event so successful they’re already planning to duplicate it next year. [The event raised 600 non-perishable food items that were donated to Person-to-Person Food Bank of Norwalk.]

“[Carver] gave me a platform to give back to my hometown,” Shuler said.

Marc Alan, director of marketing for Factory Underground, said the Norwalk-based recording studio is always looking for ways to get involved in the community. And, having built a relationship with Shuler since he started recording there five years ago, the Factory became the perfect partner for Shuler’s initiatives.

“We love being involved in things to help people,” Alan said. “And FNX is great. With hip-hop, people expect a negative connotation, and it can be hard to convince people it’s not that, but he keeps bringing positive attention to the culture and we really support that.”

Read the full article in the Norwalk Hour. 

Free Download of "DJ Juelz Presents: FNX Music Volume 1" 

FNX SHOWS HOMETOWN LOVE FOR NORWALK: CHARITY FOOD DRIVE AND BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SMASHES DONATION GOAL

600 CANNED FOOD ITEMS DONATED TO PERSON-TO-PERSON
FOOD BANK OF NORWALK

EVENT SPONSORED BY FACTORY UNDERGROUND,
JOEL'S BARBER LOUNGE AND ACTION FITNESS (NEW HAVEN)

The first annual Hometown Love charity canned food drive and basketball tournament was a smashing success, thanks to our sponsor-partners Joe's Barber Lounge of Norwalk, Ct and Team Action Fitness of New Haven, Ct, and last but certainly not least our very own FNX, a rapper whose song "Hometown Love" inspired the event co-produced by Factory Underground Records. The event was held on the grounds of the George Washington Carver Foundation's home center ay 7 Academy Street in Norwalk on June 26, 2016. The goal of the event was to raise 500 canned goods and non-perishable food items to be donated to Person-to-Person Food Bank of Norwalk. The event, which consisted of a basketball tournament and barbecue cookout met the goal with flying colors, with a final tally of 600 cans of food by the day's end. 

"The idea started with the title of my song "Hometown Love," and with the help of my publicist Marc Alan of Factory Underground Records, it all grew from there," said FNX. "We wanted to have an event that would be fun for the community, and bring people together around the cause of helping other people. Person-to-Person is such an important resource for underserved families of our community, it was a joy to be able to help them through this event. It was also one major charity helping another in the community--I have to say that we couldn't have done this without the George Washington Carver Center--they really came to play ball with us."

"I have to give it to Joel's Barber Lounge of Norwalk for their invaluable contributions. They organized the actual tournament, recruited the teams, hired the referees; it was a very professional operation. Seeing all of the players wearing "Hometown Love" basketball shirts in different team-colors was very inspiring, not to mention the incredible skill of the players who turned out from all over Fairfield County," FNX said. 

FNX is a rapper of considerable skill and personal style, but one who is proving worth far beyond the measure of his market share, streaming numbers, and sales on iTunes. The musician isn't waiting for any level of commercial break-through to give back to his community. An alumni of the George Washington Carver Center, who credits the organization with keeping him off the streets as a young man growing up in Norwalk, Ct, the young man who would become known as FNX went on to graduate with honors from Brian McMahon High School (Norwalk), achieving a Bachelors degree of Business from University of Southern Connecticut, and a Masters degree of Business and Organizational Leadership from the University of New Hampshire. An unusual pedigree for a rapper in today's hip hop music scene, but then as "Hometown Love" shows FNX is no ordinary rapper.

"Working with the Carver on this level was in many ways my life coming full circle. I grew up at the Carver, and it helped shape me into the man that I am. So it is very important for me to advocated for the Carver, and be a role model for the children there today. I want them to know what education can do to change their lives. I want them to say to themselves, "If FNX did it, then I can do it too." 

Jim Schaffer of Carver Foundation and FNX 

All photographs by John Shyloski copyright 2016 

For more photos: 

http://www.johnshyloskiphotography.com/hometownlove2016

“HOMETOWN LOVE” FOOD DRIVE ANNOUNCED FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 26

“HOMETOWN LOVE” FOOD DRIVE ANNOUNCED FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 26 

COLLABORATIVE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT & BARBECUE TO BENEFIT PERSON-TO-PERSON FOOD BANK OF NORWALK

 
PRESENTED BY NORWALK ARTIST FNX WITH FACTORY UNDERGROUND STUDIO & GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER FOUNDATION 

ADDITIONAL SPONSORS TO INCLUDE JOEL’S BARBER LOUNGE; GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN NOW LIVE TO COVER EVENT PRODUCTION COST

Norwalk recording artist FNX (pronounced Phoenix), in association with Factory Underground Studio and the George Washington Carver Foundation is proud to announce the “Hometown Love” Food Drive. This event will be taking place on Sunday, June 26 from 11am to 6pm at the Carver Community Center (7 Academy St., Norwalk, Ct). In addition to the goal of raising 500 canned food times to be donated to the Person-to-Person Food Bank, there will also be a BBQ cook-out, 5-on-5 basketball tournament, raffle, and music by DJ Connect.

Leading up to the event there is a GoFundMe campaign being run in order to cover the costs associated with the event, including food and drink, t-shirts for tournament participants, and a referee. These donations are being accepted on a rolling basis and any money raised above and beyond actual costs will go directly to Person-to-Person.

Faced with childhood homelessness, surviving abusive experiences in a shelter with his young mother, FNX found solace in music and the nurturing environment of the Carver Center, which is one of the largest providers of after school programs in Norwalk – serving up to one thousand children daily. Now, armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the Southern Connecticut State University and a Master’s Degree of Science in Organizational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University, things have come full circle for this artist through his work as an official advocate of the center. “Working with these kids is important for me because I am one of them. It’s a chance for me to show them what music and education can do. I want them to say, ‘If FNX did it, I can do it too.’”

This event serves not just to give back to the community in a tangible way, through monetary and food donations, but also by offering a day of family fun for anyone who needs a little “hometown love.” Music, food, sports, and more will all come together to celebrate the Norwalk community.

The 5-on-5 basketball tournament has an age requirement of 16 or older. The entry fee is $250 per team, which includes an event shirt for all members with a cash prize awarded to the winning team. In order to sign up, participants must contact Joel of event sponsor Joel’s Barber Lounge prior to June 14. He may be reached by phone at (203) 434-9551 or via email at JoelDaBarber@gmail.com.

The event is open to people of all ages with a suggested food donation of two cans of food with a freshness date to expire no less than one month in the future. Barbecue food items and beverage will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

--

“Hometown Love” Food Drive Presented by FNX & Factory Underground

Date: Sunday, June 26, 2016

Time: 11AM to 6PM

Location: Carver Community Center, 7 Academy St., Norwalk, Ct

GoFundMe Campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/hometownlove

Beneficiaries & Sponsors

Person-to-Person: http://p2phelps.org/

Carver Community Center: http://carvercenterct.org/

FNX: http://www.fnxmusic.com/

Factory Underground Records: http://www.factoryundergroundrecords.com/

Factory Underground Studio: http://www.factoryundergroundstudio.com/

Joel’s Barber Lounge: 71 Cedar St., Norwalk, Ct | (203) 434-9551