Me walking the runway.

Just backstage hanging out with the ladies.

By DANIELLE CAPALBO (TheStamfordTimes.com)
Times Staff Writer

STAMFORD — When Angelica Salem takes the stage next weekend at the Palace Theatre, the 17-year-old Stamfordite will perform alongside international hip-hop artists like Flo Rida and Sean Kingston.

Yet the spotlight will shine on her — the driving force behind the Jan. 8 concert designed to benefit the Bennett Cancer Center.

“I just see artists in general now, celebrities — with so much bad going on in the world, everyone’s trying to help out as best they can,” said Salem, a 12th-grade student at Trinity Catholic High School and a burgeoning pop star.

To do her part, she said, Salem founded a nonprofit last year called “Voice of an Angel” — at first, a way to redirect the bells-and-whistles of her Sweet 16.

Instead of bringing gifts, guests were asked to support the non-profit and, in turn, help young people and families struggling to afford tuition, medical bills and more.

Since then, the charity has donated thousands of dollars to AmeriCares, New Covenant House and Stamford Hospice. Salem has also donated to relief efforts in Haiti, local soup kitchens and scholarship funds.

“I’m hoping it will take off and go international soon,” she said. “There are so many kids that don’t get the opportunities I get every day.”

The upcoming fundraiser — with performances from New Boyz, Iyaz, Jadakiss and special guests — will support the cancer center at Stamford Hospital.

“All the people taking time out of their crazy schedules to be part of the show, it’s absolutely insane,” Salem said Tuesday, commuting home from rehearsal at Pearl Studios in New York City. “It’s going to be an amazing night.”

Proceeds could fund everything from transportation to exercise programs and integrative medicine programs — like Reiki, reflexology and massage therapy, said Michelle Palazzo, manager of patient services.

Every year, she said, Bennett Cancer Center sees approximately 1,000 new cases, and community support adds strength to the hospital’s own fundraising campaigns.

“It’s very generous,” Palazzo said.

For Salem, this cause hits a personal chord. Two years ago, a close friend was diagnosed with brain cancer and given nine months to live, she said.

“Two years later, and he’s still alive,” she said, having seen the struggles — not the least emotional — associated with the disease.

When Salem released her first record, “Voice of an Angel,” she gave her friend a copy; after all, she said, he had inspired the lyrics to her title track.

“He came back to our door a couple of days later, and he was crying,” she said. “I realized, we didn’t donate any money to a cause, but the words to my song touched him so much — they have made him want to continue, to keep going.”

The concert begins at 8 p.m on Saturday, Jan. 8. Tickets range from $100 to $200 and can be purchased online at www.stamfordcenterforthearts.org.

Cancer center benefit includes performances from Stamford teen, international hip-hop artists