Dozens of people started showing up Saturday at the former West Ward Elementary in north Killeen for a free concert started by a local nonprofit.
Levallois Hamilton of Free My City Outreach explained the origins of Saturday’s free concert called Power Surge. The idea for the event came about when restrictions related to the coronavirus began to be lifted.
“What we pretty much did was we just wanted to do something where we could be intentional,” Hamilton said. “We didn’t want to just show up, do something and then leave.”
In recent weeks, Hamilton and others have spent time in the neighborhood near the school, reaching out in various ways.
“We’ve been here connecting with residents doing litter cleanups, doing prayer walks and today is like our combined event,” he said.
Outside the school, there were a couple of different bounce houses and several people were playing basketball on the outside hoops.
Harker Heights residents Jeannette Ford and Bryan Ford came to support the event because they are members of the True Deliverance Ministry, which meets at the former West Ward Elementary School.
“I think it’s really amazing that they come out with different churches and different organizations to give back to the community in the neighborhood kind of way, to support and spread the love of Jesus,” said Jeannette Ford.
Although the Fords live in the Heights, Jeannette said they grew up in neighborhoods like those in North Killeen.
“We have different events all the time to help us because we come from these streets as well,” he said. “We live on this side of town.”
She said it means a lot to know there are organizations coming forward to show they care about children and the community.
Saturday’s event culminated in a concert that included Monique Barsh, Kamira, 41 Potential, 41 Kool, Earl Dix, Carl Bess, Rian Green, Cold Front and Hamilton.
Details are being worked out, but Hamilton said Power Surge will return to a different neighborhood, likely next year.
