Renaissance Asheville Hotel hosts save Kat Williams fundraiser party, Aug. 21

PRESS RELEASE FROM EVENT ORGANIZERS:

A large group of friends, musicians and Asheville area community members have joined together as “Friends of Kat Williams” to lend support for the iconic blues and jazz singer as she battles End Stage (stage 5) kidney disease.

A “Save Kat Campaign” will be launched Thursday, Aug. 21 at 5:00 PM at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville. Williams, who lives in Asheville, is a well-known and widely admired singer who has garnered a large number of accolades, friends, and fans over the years. Known for her throaty, full-range and lively blues and jazz performances, her career includes an Emmy nomination, an appearance on the Tonight Show, performances up and down the East Coast, and a popular yearly performance of the Star Spangled Banner during Asheville’s Fourth of July fireworks.

Quietly, she has also donated performances free to scores of fundraisers for area non-profit organizations. Now, say Friends of Kat Williams, it is time to give back to her. A recent announcement notes that Williams has battled the disease privately for some time. But her kidney function has decreased to 13 percent, making it impossible for her to perform, and putting her on a critical path to get on a list for a kidney transplant if a donor match can be found.

Her support group says that doctors at the Mountain Kidney and Hypertension Association in Asheville are working with the Duke Kidney Transplant Program and Emory University Healthcare Kidney Transplant program in hopes of getting her on the transplant list soon. The goal of the “Save Kat” campaign is to: find a donor; assist Williams with transportation and lodging to and from Emory Hospital in Atlanta and Duke University Hospital; and help with medical costs of the transplant, anti-rejection medicines, and living expenses so she can return to serving the community.

Says Williams: “It’s very hard for me to say, but I need help from my community.”

WHEN: Sunday, August 21, 2016 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
WHERE: Renaissance Asheville Hotel – 31 Woodfin Street

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About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall

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