Music filled the Perch for the annual Rock to Remember concert hosted by this semester’s Entertainment Marketing class on April 14.

The Entertainment Marketing class, taught by Janée Burkhalter, Ph.D., professor of marketing and associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion, partners with a different local nonprofit organization each year.

The class aims to raise at least $1,000 for their partner organization and to raise awareness for the organization’s cause, according to Tobi Akinyelure ’23, a student in the class. They fundraise throughout the entire semester, building up to the Rock to Remember event.

This semester, Entertainment Marketing teamed up with Ride Free, the outreach program for Impact Services. Impact Services is a nonprofit in Philadelphia that provides a wide swath of resources, from education to therapy to programs to helping people find jobs after incarceration.

Ride Free provides music resources to Philadelphians, particularly in Kensington where their building is located.

“Ride Free is the safe haven of the building,” said Sara Rodriguez, director of operations for Ride Free. “We’re an anti-violence initiative, so we combat gun violence through creative outlets like our recording studio.”

Ride Free also offers a vinyl class, a storefront for local entrepreneurs and an event space for performers and members of the community to gather.

The artist lineup for the Rock for Remember concert was made up of some of the musicians who regularly use Ride Free’s recording studio to record their music. The five performers who took the stage were R&B artist PrettyMfk, violinist JUSTUS and hip-hop artists LosDouble0, Kenzo Milli and Sanny.

For Akinyelure, planning the event was a great way to develop his management and communication skills. Partnering with Ride Free, specifically, also led to important conversations, Akinyelure said.

“We’re learning about the work that [Ride Free] does and how we can be better for communities within Philadelphia,” Akinyelure said. “A lot of our conversations are around dispelling myths around Kensington. Especially how St. Joe’s is based in West Philadelphia, students may not understand the full community of Philadelphia, so we got to learn more about Kensington, the community there, and what resources we can pour back into them.”

Gabriella Dudajek ’24, another student in the class, said one goal is to bring the Kensington and St. Joe’s communities closer.

“We’re trying to promote Ride Free and show what they have to offer in Kensington and also trying to bridge the communities,” Dudajek said. “St. Joseph’s University is located near Lower Merion and Ride Free is in Kensington. We’re just trying to bridge those communities a little bit and lessen that divide.”

The Rock to Remember team will continue to fundraise for Ride Free for the rest of the semester.

As for Ride Free, they will be throwing their annual Stop The Violence Block Tour June 3 outside their building at 1952 E. Allegheny Ave. The event is a community-wide concert, featuring musicians, vendors and more from the Kensington area.

Rodriguez said she hopes Rock to Remember will push against many people’s mindsets that give Kensington a “bad rep.”

“There’s still people here. There’s still a community,” Rodriguez said. “There’s always a good side, and we want to showcase some people that are underground and unrecognized. Hopefully we get them recognition and give Kensington a better name, but also combining the different communities, we’re gonna bring good energy and build more relationships.”