'Motown Night' To Benefit The Butterfly Effect

Bay Street Theater will host A Night of Motown, a benefit for The Butterfly Effect Project, on Saturday, February 24, at 7 p.m. The event will feature a dazzling performance by That Motown Band, a 50/50 raffle, a merch table with a bounty of Butterfly Effect goods for sale to benefit the project, and two signature drinks named “Butterfly Blitz” and “Motown Mojito.” The executive director of The Butterfly Effect, Tijuana Fulford, will host the festivities.

A Night of Motown is a fundraiser to support The Butterfly Effect Project, whose mission is to create safe spaces for girls of all socio-economic backgrounds to dream and succeed while eliminating obstacles by giving them the tools they need to succeed.

Do you love songs like “Heat Wave,” “Ain’t to Proud to Beg,” “Baby Love,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “My Girl?” Do you love artists like Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, The Supremes, and The Four Tops? Then, you are going to love this group of talented vocalists and musicians. That Motown Band has been entertaining Motown fans for years.

Joining the band is Garfield Fleming, a soul singing vocalist who has been a member of The Delfonics for 25 years with William Hart. Fleming’s resemblance to David Ruffin makes people look twice but when he sings fans get lost in time. He sounds like Bobby Womack and Ruffin and can also perform the songs of many legendary artists. In 1981, Garfield released a single “Please Don’t Send Me Away,” which is still played all over the world.

The Butterfly Effect Project creates safe spaces for girls in eastern Suffolk County to dream and succeed. The organization empowers girls by giving them the tools to achieve emotionally stable and self-confident futures. The group was founded to serve girls living in downtown Riverhead and Riverside, which is the most economically distressed area on Long Island, with, according to the 2020 census, a 19.6 percent poverty rate, 15.4 percent unemployment rate, low educational attainment, high crime rate, and blight.

The Butterfly Effect Project serves 613 primarily Black and brown girls, ages 6 to 18, who are enrolled in its general programming. The group has 20 chapters serving youth and communities throughout Suffolk County. It offers programming consisting of environmental, arts, social justice and career preparation. Offering opportunities such as dance, step and drill, college tours, etiquette classes and public speaking just to name a few.

Tickets to this benefit are $65 at baystreet.org or 631-725-9500. Bay Street Theater is on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor.