Familiar Favorites 2

After a successful benefit concert for the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Indiana this past summer (raising $1,200), I knew it would be even more fun to do it at college with all my music friends.

There were so many more obstacles this time around than the previous concert. Finding a venue, printing invites/programs, advertising, finding performers, avoiding date conflicts, getting performance permissions, setting up rehearsal times with 21 performers, and the list goes on. And on. And still on. All during my final semester of undergrad, and the scariest, by far-- student teaching. But this concert was a dream of mine, so, naturally, I pursued it anyway.

There were many times when I wanted to give up. Times when I thought it was impossible to pull it off. Spending my evenings (after days of teaching) on the phone, going to meetings, sending emails, rehearsing... I seriously wondered if it woud be worth the effort and time. And then two of my performers got sick the night before and the day of the concert.

But the effort paid off, because on Friday, April 5th, around 80 people attended the fundraising concert in Greenville-- most of which were students. In fact, when I saw the huge majority of students, I was a little worried about the amount we would raise. But I was determined to make it a really enjoyable evening for everyone anyway. And it definitely was! Every performer made me so proud! It was truly an enjoyable evening of beautiful and fun music. The wonderful response from the audience afterwards was overwhelming.

Having such an awesome evening of music would have been worth it to me, but we did raise money for the Ronald McDonald House, as well! These college students and adults (and even some of my performers!) gave sacrificially to help RMH. In fact, that night we raised $650! That's enough to house an average of 13 families overnight! This amount will help make a difference for the people at RMH. It will serve as an opportunity to use the gifts God has given us to share His love with those in need. And on top of that, it was FUN!

So was it a lot of work? Yes. And stress? Well, yes. But was it worth it? YES! So stay tuned for "Familiar Favorites" 2014-- the sequel! (Premiering somewhere in the USA... that's TBD.)

Thanks to all my performers for their excellent work and enthusiasm. Thanks to my professors for their many words of wisdom and help along the way. Thanks to those who made a difference with their giving. Thanks to my parents for their support every step of the way. And most of all, thanks to God who planned my life and allowed me to be born with scoliosis, and now I have a different perspective on life.

Click here for pictures!