Just five months later, their son came into the world weighing only 1 pound, 4 ounces. Consequently, the tiny tot suffered serious health complications that resulted in a hefty hospital bill.
Friends and neighbors rallied around the family and hosted a fundraiser to help defray costs.
That act of goodwill was the inspiration behind The Noblemen, a nonprofit organization Midgett formed two decades ago to raise money for children’s charities in Hampton Roads. The Nobleteens, an offshoot of the group, was formed five years ago at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach.
Since then, the student-run philanthropic group has expanded to every public high school in the city.
This Sunday, the Nobleteens host Teenapalooza III, a benefit concert featuring teens at The Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach. Funds raised in previous years have been used to help homeless teens and children battling cancer.
“These kids are aware of what’s going on in their community outside of their TVs, computers and iPhones,” said event co-director Eric Brass of The Nobleteens. “They’re engaged in what’s happening in the world around them.”
Brass has kids of his own involved with the teen charity and credits the group for inspiring teens.
“Anything a kid can get involved with that implies civic engagement is a good thing,” he said. “It brings out the best in them and gives them confidence and leadership qualities.”
The benefit concert will feature young bands from all over Hampton Roads, and Brass hopes the event will help spread the charity’s reach.
“I think there’s going to be a real push to expand Nobleteens to schools in Norfolk, Chesapeake and all of Hampton Roads.”
The most distinctive aspect of this particular event is its teen-centric emphasis.
“There are a lot of benefit concerts that support kids, but most of them involve adults,” Brass said. “Teenapalooza is special in the sense that the kids really run the show. Kids organize it, kids perform and kids reap the benefits.”
One of them is Matt Shwayze, singer/guitarist in the rock band To Build Mts. He’s also Al Midgett’s son, the preemie who inspired it all.
Who are the musicians starring in Teenapalooza? Here’s a primer:
Alana Springsteen The Virginia Beach native’s first major performance was singing the national anthem at a Norfolk Tides game. Since then, the 12-year-old has performed with country duo Sugarland and is the youngest songwriter to play Nashville’s influential Tin Pan South Songwriter Festival.
User Friendly Formed last year by four friends from Kempsville High School, the rock quintet really took off after the addition of female powerhouse vocalist Sammi Seacrest from Ocean Lakes High.
Just Folks With its blend of alt-folk and indie pop, this newly formed quartet should appeal to fans of such acoustic-based acts as The Lumineers or Mumford & Sons.
Coastland Playing a blend of power pop with a modern edge has landed this Virginia Beach five-piece outfit on the airwaves of alt-rock radio station 96X.
Zig Zag This five-piece band of Cox High School students plays high-energy music and covers everything from the B-52s to the Beatles.
The UnXpected Even kids can get the blues. Ranging from age 11 to 15, this Peninsula-based quintet performed earlier this year at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
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