When you wish upon a rock star
Nursing students bring in more than expected from concert to aid terminally ill children
Posted on January 14, 2008
The JMU Nursing Student Association kicked off its first fundraising event of the spring semester with a benefit concert aimed at raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Held at The Pub on Wednesday, the concert featured live music by Gill, a Richmond-based reggae rock band.
“We do a lot of fundraisers throughout the entire community and the main organization of Make-a-Wish from western and central Virginia is based out of Richmond, my hometown,” said Kristina Kirby, NSA president. “I’ve always had a love for children and thought it’d be a great thing to do for Make-a-Wish because they are completely non-profit.”
The idea for the benefit concert was sparked in August, and the nuts and bolts of the planning began two months later.
Though NSA was raising 100 percent of the funds for Make-a-Wish, Kirby said that she thought NSA gained experience from hosting an event in its name.
“We had to show them the flyer, the handouts, sign an agreement in terms of how much profit was projected for the concert,” she said. “They made multiple corrections [to assure] that the Make-a-Wish slogan was correctly used. It was a fairly formal ordeal.”
The event proved successful. NSA initially anticipated a $625 profit, but counted closer to $800 by the end of night’s festivities.
Known for their reggae-rock sound and Dub style (a genre of music originally rooted in Jamaica), Gill performed many of their own songs as well as covers of Sublime and Jimi Hendrix. They mainly perform along the east coast and had no reservation about participating in NSA’s event free of charge.
“We’re all about having fun and playing for a good cause,” said Eli Webb, Gill’s lead vocalist and guitarist. “We like to do events like these, and when we were told about this particular one’s involvement with Make-a-Wish, we were like, ‘Hell yeah! Can’t say no to this.’
Kirby knew members of the band from back home and, having been familiar with their music, thought they’d put on a show for NSA’s event.
“I think the concert went really well,” said sophomore Claire Guenthner, a member of NSA. “It was nice to see the turnout, and it benefited such an amazing cause. I was really happy to be involved with such a great project.”
All of the proceeds made that night go directly to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Central and Western Virginia, which grants the wishes of children battling life-threatening medical conditions.
“I’ve always had a special place in my heart for kids, and I think they contribute a special part to this world that we live in,” Kirby said. “Make-a-Wish gives them a chance to do something that they love and enjoy. It’s a chance for them to get away from the terminal illness that they are constantly battling. They’re able to take their minds off of that and put smiles on their faces, even if it is for just a couple of days.”
