Virgin Mobile Canada & Dan Mangan + Blacksmith Rock out for a good cause

Virgin Mobile RE*Generation benefit concert will help homeless youth get jobs

TORONTO, Nov. 28, 2014 /CNW/ - December is almost here and we're all getting ready to spread holiday cheer. This is the time of year to spoil our loved ones and do some good in your community. Today Virgin Mobile Canada announced it's teaming up with two-time JUNO Award-winning musician Dan Mangan + Blacksmith for a benefit concert on Monday, December 15, 2014 at Toronto's MOD Club. All proceeds from the show will be donated to Virgin Mobile RE*Generation and invested in training programs that help at-risk and homeless youth get jobs.

"Musician or otherwise, I think it's incumbent upon us all to be involved with the youth in our local communities," says Dan Mangan. "Virgin Mobile RE*Generation will raise funds that help at-risk and homeless youth get jobs, and we get to play music. Win, win."

Tickets for the Dan Mangan + Blacksmith show are $20 each (plus taxes and applicable service charges) and will be available for purchase from Ticketweb at http://vmobil.ec/1zYnSVl starting November 26, 2014. Doors will open at 7 p.m. EST and concert-goers will need to be 19+.

 "This holiday season, Canadians will have the chance to do some good while getting down for a great cause," says Joseph Ottorino, managing director, Virgin Mobile Canada. "Since the 2008-2009 recession, more than 250,000 youth jobs were lost and haven't come back. Without the opportunities to work, youth aren't able to afford the basic necessities or housing. And once trapped in the cycle, it can be hard to emerge with out help. We need to change this!"

Virgin Mobile RE*Generation was created to empower a generation to help its own and provide Members and Canadians with opportunities to support at-risk and homeless youth. These benefit concerts are a great way to support the fight to break down the employment barriers youth face. By gaining meaningful and stable employment, at-risk youth can avoid slipping into the cycle of homelessness and street-involved youth can emerge to lead a bright future.

Want to do good beyond the concert? Hook up to help by purchasing a Virgin Mobile RE*Generation phone or text REGEN to 30333 from your mobile phone right now to donate $5 to Virgin Mobile RE*Generation. Plus, our big-hearted Virgin Mobile Members can add $1 to their monthly phone bill to help through Change for a Dollar. For more information check out www.virginmobile.ca/regen.

About Dan Mangan + Blacksmith
Dan Mangan is a two-time JUNO award winning & two-time Polaris Music Prize listed musician and songwriter. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with his wife and son. He is about to release his fourth full-length album and, with the help of Jesse Zubot, scored Hector And The Search For Happiness, a feature film starring Simon Pegg. Dan has also infrequently been a contributing writer for some publications such as Huffington Post Canada and The Guardian (Arts section). Through many twists, turns and a good deal of fortune, Mangan's primary project has come to be known as DAN MANGAN + BLACKSMITH.

"BLACKSMITH" features Kenton Loewen, Gordon Grdina, John Walsh (and often Jesse Zubot, JP Carter and Tyson Naylor). Many of these musicians have played with Mangan for years, but there's a reaffirmed cohesiveness or communal sensibility between the band that merited the new marquee name. DAN MANGAN + BLACKSMITH will release Club Meds on January 13 via Arts & Crafts, and will return to Toronto for a performance with Hayden at Massey Hall on February 28.

About Virgin Mobile RE*Generation
In 2008 Virgin Mobile RE*Generation was created to empower a generation to help its own and support at-risk and homeless youth. This movement is committed to helping at-risk and homeless youth across the country get the skills they need to find and keep jobs. To date, more than $2.5 million has been raised and dispersed to leading youth-serving agencies across the country from programs such as Change For A Dollar, Text to Donate, the RE*Generation phone and ongoing benefit concerts.

Join Virgin Mobile RE*Generation to help youth emerge from the cycle of homelessness. Visit www.virginmobile.ca/regen for more information.

About Virgin Mobile Canada
At Virgin Mobile, you're not a customer, you're a Member and "Members Get" exclusive deals from awesome brands, a shot at VIP access and one-of-a-kind experiences to events in Canada and around the world. That's on top of super-hot smartphones on ridiculously-fast LTE speeds and plans with loads of extras built right in! Virgin Mobile Members and Canadians can do some good in their local communities by helping at-risk and homeless youth get jobs with Virgin Mobile RE*Generation.

Wanna hook up? There are loads of ways, head online or call 1-888-999-2321 to get in the know. Get personal with Virgin Mobile Canada on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

SOURCE: Virgin Mobile Canada

Sheryl Davey Kerametlian, Virgin Mobile Canada, 416-607-8412, [email protected]