After a legal battle with McDonald’s over the name of her annual benefit concert, college student Lauren McClusky is moving forward with plans for her upcoming event, newly named “Nelarusky.” The new name is a combination of the letters of her first and last name. As a young entrepreneur and music promoter, McClusky has organized three concerts previously called “McFest” for the benefit of Special Olympics Illinois and has raised more than $40,000 through these events. This year, the Nelarusky concert will be the official pre-show for Lollapalooza and will be held on August 4 at Metro in Chicago. The lineup includes Lollapalooza act The Constellations; Denver-based Churchill; Chicago bands Fair Herald, Your Villain My Hero, DJ Million $ Mano; and special guests to be announced. Doors open at 5:00p.m. and the concert will begin at 5:30p.m.
“I’m relieved that we’ve reached an agreement with McDonald’s regarding the event name and I’m happy with the outcome,” explained McClusky. “The company has generously agreed to sponsor the concert, which means we’ll be able to donate more money to Special Olympics, and that’s really what drives us to organize this show.”
Producing these benefit concerts for the past several years has provided McClusky with opportunities to learn about aspects of business and fundraising. As the daughter of Chicago music promoter Jeff McClusky, Lauren has always been interested in the local and national music scene. Years ago, the idea for the benefit concert was born from Lauren’s love of live music and her passion for helping others, specifically through the programs of the Special Olympics.
As the official pre-show of Lollapalooza, McClusky believes Nelarusky will be the largest and most successful concert she’s planned, to date. In 2009, the concert attracted approximately 1,000 people to Metro, most of them of high school and college age. This year McClusky and her team of organizers are hoping to sell more than 1,000 tickets and raise $20,000 for Special Olympics.
Tickets are $13 per person. For more information about Nelarusky and to order tickets, call Lauren McClusky at 773-938-1212 or visit www.Nelarusky.com.
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives by promotion understanding, acceptance and inclusion between people with and without intellectual disabilities. Through year-round sports training and athletic competition and other related programming for nearly 3 million children and adults with intellectual disabilities in more than 180 countries, Special Olympics has created a model community that celebrates people’s diverse gifts. More information about Special Olympics Illinois can be found at www.soill.org.
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