Kris Allen helps out Haiti

“American Idol” season eight winner Kris Allen returns to the “Idol” stage Thursday night for a good cause.

Allen traveled to earthquake-ravaged Haiti as part of the philanthropic “Idol Gives Back” program and returns to the show to share footage of his experience, as well as perform.

During a media conference call on Monday, Allen said he had some lasting memories of volunteering in the country – especially the resilience of the Haitians.

“I got to sing a song for them and hold a couple of babies,” said Allen, who sang “Amazing Grace” for some of the survivors. “They just seemed so happy. It was a really cool experience.”

Returning to the show that made him a star is “nerve-racking,” he said, but he is happy to be involved with such a worthy cause.

“Every time I was on that stage last year it was about me, but for this it’s not,” said Allen, who participated in mission trips with his church before he entered the “Idol” competition. “This feels like a really good thing to come back for.”

Allen said he had planned to participate in the star-studded Haiti telethon, but at the last minute received an even better offer.

“I was walking into the offices at [management company] 19 [Entertainment] and Simon Fuller walked up to me said ‘How would you feel about going to Haiti?’ ” Allen recalled. “I owe all this to him, that I was able to go and actually do something. [The telethon] raised so much money and was really moving as well, but to get to go there and talk to the Haitians and see what the U.N. is doing was really great.”

Allen said that he hopes to impart to “Idol” viewers that there is still so much work to be done in the impoverished nation.

“This thing is not going away,” Allen said. “They need so much help right now, and when I say 'help,' I mean they need a lot of money right now.”

Officials said the funds will go to the United Nations Foundation Fund for Haiti to provide food, shelter, sanitation and help for rebuilding the tiny country.

Nashville Musicians Come Together To Help Haiti

More than 50 musicians got together Wednesday night to record "Come Together Now," a song that will help raise money for Haitian relief efforts. Michael W. Smith wrote "Come Together Now" soon after seeing the devastation caused by a major earthquake in Haiti.

"What I am seeing out here, I'm pretty blown away," Smith said after looking out into the recording studio.

Within twelve days Smith had rounded up enough of his friends to record the song. The artists who answered the call came from all genres of music and are all stars in their own right.

"What I love is that everyone left their egos at the door. People came here with a mission, to help Haiti, to bring aide to the Haitian people," said Christian artist Michael Tait.

"To be here for Michael, I would do anything for Michael W.," said country superstar Wynonna Judd.

Artists included Michael W. Smith, dc Talk, Oak Ridge Boys, Wynnona Judd, Matt Maher, Nicole C. Mullen, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns, Point of Grace, Chris Sligh, Mandisa and more. This is the second such effort by Christian artists this month.

Michael W. Smith hopes to have "Come Together Now" ready for download in a couple of weeks. The money raised will go to the American Red Cross and Samaritan's Purse.

Bebo Generates Over $50K for Haiti

Last week Bebo Norman decided to help make a difference giving back to Haiti relief by auctioning his personal Everett Laurel guitar on eBay. After one week of bidding, the auction closed on Friday night with an amazing closing price of $51,100. All funds will be going to Compassion International for Haiti relief.

This came on the heels of promising to match $5 for every re-tweet of his request to donate.

Kirk Franklin Gathers Gospel Community to Record a Relief Song for Haiti

As gospel music artists gathered in Nashville to celebrate at the 25th Stellar Awards, they also came together for a higher purpose. With the recent tragic earthquake in Haiti, Kirk Franklin assembled gospel artists to lend their voices to “Are You Listening,” a song they all hope will inspire those devastated as well as raise much needed funds for Haiti.

The response was overwhelming for what Franklin had dubbed as the gospel community's answer to "We Are the World" as more than 150 participants swiftly joined including BeBe & CeCe Winans, Natalie Grant, Mary Mary, Shirley Caesar, Jeremy Camp, Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp, Marvin Winans and Kiki Sheard.

All proceeds from the record will be donated to charities involved in relief efforts.

Audio A's Mark Stuart Featured on MSNBC from Haiti

Today, MSNBC interviewed Mark Stuart, best known for being the lead vocalist of Audio Adrenaline and the more current touring acoustic/speaking team Audio Unplugged, about the devastation in Haiti after the country recently experienced a severe earthquake. Stuart is one of the founders of The Hands & Feet Project orphanage in Haiti and was interviewed about how the area around Hands & Feet was affected by the quake.

Visit this link to watch footage of Stuart being interviewed from on location in Haiti.