Bronx Charter School for Better Learning calls off fundraiser due to Jennifer Lopez concert

A Bronx school has indefinitely postponed its biggest fundraiser of the year after being scheduled on the same day that Jennifer Lopez will be returning to the block. The annual spring gala for the

News 12 Staff

Jun 3, 2014, 2:45 AM

Updated 3,860 days ago

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A Bronx school has indefinitely postponed its biggest fundraiser of the year after being scheduled on the same day that Jennifer Lopez will be returning to the block.
The annual spring gala for the Bronx Charter School for Better Learning would have been held at Pelham Country Club this Wednesday, but more than 25,000 concertgoers are expected to head in that direction Wednesday to see Jennifer Lopez in concert, making congestion a serious concern. The school's principal says that the NYPD told him that all the traffic would make the event virtually inaccessible.
The school had been hoping to raise $75,000 at the event, which features performances from students. Teachers and students say they're frustrated, especially since the kids have been practicing since February.
One student says he had been memorizing a speech by Nelson Mandela. Others spent hours learning song and dance routines from Africa and Jamaica, countries that many of the students' families have ties to.
The students will still get to perform in front of their classmates during a school fun day in a few weeks, and officials are hoping that people will still donate without the fundraiser. The principal has made a plea to Lopez to visit their school after her concert.