The Material World Foundation, founded by George Harrison in 1973, has donated $500,000 to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, Save the Children, and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) charities.
The donation will help the charities to provide much needed aid and care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To raise additional funds, the foundation has also launched The Inner Light Challenge that invites people around the globe to share a verse, chorus, or line from The Beatles song “The Inner Light” and post it with the #innerlight2020 hashtag on social media.
For every hashtagged post, The Material World Foundation will donate another dollar (up to $100,000) to coronavirus relief efforts.
Harrison’s son Dhani kicked off the campaign with his own, reflective rendition of the song, recorded from his living room, with the accompaniment of a singing bowl.
The song, penned by Harrison, was inspired by the Beatles’ study in India with Maharish Mahesh Yogi and classical Indian music. It was released as the B-side to “Lady Madonna” and was also the first of Harrison’s compositions to be released as a Beatles single.
The tune features the lyrics “Without going out of my door, I can know all things on Earth / Without looking out of my window, I can know the ways of heaven,” quite relevant under current circumstances.
“These lyrics sung by George are a positive reminder to all of us who are isolating, in quarantine or respecting the request to shelter in place. Let’s get and stay connected at this difficult time. There are things we can do to help and we invite you to share your Inner Light,” Olivia Harrison said in a statement.
The name of the foundation was borrowed from Harrison’s fourth studio album, Living in the Material World. Harrison established the foundation to encourage the “exploration of alternate and diverse forms of artistic expression, life views and philosophies as well as a way to support established charities and people with special needs.”
Harrison passed away in 2001, but the foundation carries on his work, helping the needy around the world.
Source: RTT Music News
https://youtu.be/229aVjM4uf8
