In honor of the holiday spirit, many students find themselves with an urge deep inside their hearts to give unto their fellow men/women. This itch to help thy neighbor and spread the cheer of the season often surges right after Thanksgiving and saturates the winter air in the weeks before exams.
When the air gets cold and the first snowflakes fall, it warms many to think of giving to others, but this feeling seems to gradually wane away with the stress of five tests in one week and spending 10 hours in a smelly, crowded mall shopping for annoying aunt Ethel. So, before the anxiety of exam week hits like UNLV hit the Badgers, let the giving spirit soar.
There are obvious charities to give to, but what about something that allows the selfish college student to give and have fun at the same time? How about an age-21-and-up concert benefiting the youth in Madison’s surrounding neighborhoods?
This Friday night, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Club For Kids’ Sake will hold a benefit concert featuring the bands Blue Room Hero, Overgrowth and Friends of Rooney (formerly known as Roadhouse Blues Band) at the Stage Door, located at 121 E. Johnson St. All proceeds will be donated directly to the YMCA Camp Minikani Strong Kids Fund, which will help the children who are affiliated with the club.
Club For Kids’ Sake is a non-profit student organization that mentors underprivileged youth throughout the year. The club also holds fund-raisers to donate to the Strong Kids Fund, which enables the kids to attend Camp Minikani on a scholarship, or what the group calls a “campership.”
“We hope for this concert to be one of our main fund-raisers for the year,” fund-raising chair Calie Henrickson said. “All three bands are awesome and should be heard, so it’s a good opportunity for all of us to build a following in the city.”
“We’re really excited to play and play for a good cause. It’s not every day that you get to do something you love for a cause that you truly believe in,” said Doug Hill, drummer for Blue Room Hero.
In many students’ eyes, this weekend marks the last chance to party in Madison this semester, one of the last weekends before going home, one of the last weekends with a true angst for the holidays to arrive and one of the last weekends with the itch to give. Don’t let the thoughts of shopping for aunt Ethel and the O-Chem exam get you down. Get out and have one for the kids, the Madison community and yourself.
The concert will be at the Stage Door, 121 E. Johnson St. Doors open at 10 p.m., and ages 21 and up are welcome. All proceeds from the $5 cover go to YMCA Camp Minikani Strong Kids Fund. Additional donations can be sent to:
Club For Kids’ Sake
1001 W. Dayton St.
Apt. 4F
Madison, WI 53716