Phil Campbells coming to aid namesake city

In the wake of the deadly tornado that tore through the small Franklin County town, many thought the annual Phil Campbell Hoedown Festival and the coinciding International Phil Campbell Convention 2011 scheduled for June 17 and 18 would have to be cancelled, but organizer Rita Barton said that’s not the case.

“People’s spirits are down right now and they need this hoedown to lift them up and to bring some sunshine back into Phil Campbell,” Barton said.

“I really didn’t think there was any way we could have it, but everybody I’ve talked to wants to go ahead with it, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

To prepare the downtown area for the event, Barton said a clean-up day had originally been scheduled for May 14.

“We’re still going to have the cleanup – it’s just going to be a big cleanup now,” she said.

Barton said everyone wanting to help should gather near the Chat and Chew in downtown Phil Campbell at 7 a.m. on May 14 and the cleanup would start from there.

“This event will really be more like a relief festival now and a special time to remember the ones we lost,” Barton said. “We all need this.”

According to Brooklyn, N.Y. resident Phil Campbell, who is serving as the coordinator for the International Phil Campbell Convention 2011, the Phils are still planning to make the journey for June 17 and 18 as well, but instead of a fun gathering, everyone will be coming to offer their help and support.

“It’s almost hard to describe what our purpose is now because it’s part relief effort and part symbolic act,” Campbell said. “We’ve received lots of positive feedback over the last several months for the convention and all the Phils have been excited about it. They already felt invested in the town even though most had never been there.

“When they started to hear the news about the destruction of the town, all the Phil Campbells wanted to do something to help raise awareness for this one little corner of the world that has been hit so badly by the tornadoes.”

Raising awareness is one part of the new, re-tooled plan for the mass gathering of Phil and Phyllis Campbells, but raising money for the devastated town is also a top priority.

With damages in Phil Campbell estimated at $119 million, Campbell has set up a fundraising website at imwithphil.bbnow.org and hopes to get financial support from many companies, corporations and individuals.

“Sitting up here in New York with all the media headquarters around, I see the arrival of all the Phil Campbells as a good chance to raise media awareness and hopefully a lot of money for a town that really needs it,” Campbell said.

Campbell estimated that 15 – 20 people have confirmed they would be making the trip to Alabama and they’ll be coming from, literally, all over the world.

“There are some from Australia who are planning to come and others from different states,” Campbell said. “These people were already committed to coming to the convention, and I haven’t heard of anyone bowing out just because it’s now more of a relief trip. They want to help.”

Before the tornadoes hit, Campbell had already gained national media attention for the convention through stories and interviews with the Wall Street Journal, Time, America Online and other media outlets. Being a writer himself, Campbell knows the importance of having a story that stands out among the rest, and he said the plight of the Phil Campbells was just what was needed to get attention for the town.

“Before, everybody loved the idea of people with various forms of the name ‘Phil Campbell’ coming together for a convention in a town of the same name,” Campbell said. “Now, with the town needing all the help they can get, all the Phil Campbells getting together to raise money and awareness and physically coming to help strikes a chord with people.”

Coming to the area over six weeks after the tornado destroyed and damaged much of the town, the needs that were apparent in the very beginning like canned food and flashlights won’t be pressing, but the need for monetary donations to rebuild the businesses, the houses, the school and just the area in general will still be pressing.

“We hope there are some things physically we can do once we get there, but mostly we want to bring in media awareness and raise money,” Campbell said. “Six weeks later it will be more clear what the needs are.

“After the help has waned and the volunteers have had to return to work, hopefully we can provide help for their long-term needs.”