The Fundrazr campaign Jason Roberts' ex-wife launched last month to help pay the mountain of medical bills that accumulated during his battle with cancer has raised $8,530, which is respectable but falls far short of the $40,000 goal.
So, Roberts' supporters are hoping to make up some of the difference with a benefit dinner/concert/art auction/bike ride that would make the Oak Cliff urban advocate proud.
The Build a Better Jason benefit is scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 25. It starts at Eno's before migrating by bike to the Kessler Theater, where there will be a concert featuring John Singer Sergeant of the Deathray Davies, Austin's White Ghost Shivers, R&B legend Bobby Patterson, and "a few more surprises."
"Jason is a tremendous person," Kessler owner Edwin Cabaniss said in a release announcing the event. "He gives to his community tirelessly. Build a Better Jason is a way for everyone who knows, loves and appreciates him to help him close the book on his fight with cancer."
For those who aren't, the release also offers a quick rundown of Roberts' achievements:
Along with being a father of two young children, he ran for Congress in 2011, founded Better Block - which helps communities rehabilitate underused spaces, started Bike Friendly Oak Cliff to encourage biking in his neighborhood, co-founded Art Conspiracy which brings artists together to raise money for non-profits, started the Oak Cliff Transit Authority in an effort to bring street cars back to Oak Cliff and served as the lead singer and guitarist in The Happy Bullets.
Tickets are $25, though additional donations are accepted. All the proceeds go toward paying his cancer bills.
