Columbus North High School Key Club members and others hope that a song in their heart is worth some money in their coffers — all for a good cause.
The club is hosting its annual fundraiser Saturday for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society with a big change. Rather than merely keep the promotion confined within a few classes of the the school as it normally has done, the organization is hosting the inaugural Columbus United Virtual Benefit Concert featuring 30 varied acts at 3 p.m. Saturday on the club’s YouTube.com channel.
Donations can be made there as well. The goal, fittingly for this year, is $2,021 — nearly double the $1,275 what was collected last year ($576 from one class alone), according to Shenyi Gong, club treasurer. The society has been the beneficiary of the fundraiser for longer than any of the students can fully recall.
"This year, with COVID, we weren’t initially sure how we would go about it," said Sanjana Jain, club secretary. "But then we decided this would be a good time to give the community something to look forward to."
That something is a streaming, perhaps three-hour, free concert of everything from local artist’s pop-rock or classic rock tunes to Columbus North and Columbus East choir performances to Philharmonic Youth Orchestra appearance to a Sonya’s Dance Zone troupe’s athleticism and energy. There is a chance that, if the online gathering is deemed successful, it could be repeated in coming years, according to organizers.
Jain mentioned that the event also helps the performers, since many of them have been restricted or limited from audience performances because of the novel coronavirus. Jain herself is among the performers, playing pop singer Crush’s emotional tune "Beautiful" on piano.
"We definitely think our goal is possible and feasible, especially if we can succeed in getting the message out to as many people as possible," Jain said.
She mentioned that that is significant since club members have never spread the word before outside the school facility. But organizers have been planning this extensive event since January.
"In the past, we could just put signs around school (for fundraising)," Gong said. "And the teachers could talk about it. But Columbus is a pretty big place. So, it’s a bit harder to spread the word throughout the whole town."
Jain noticed one substantial struggle that other online concert organizers have highlighted since last year.
"Another big challenge has been just the process of putting everything together on video with all the editing," Jain said of officers’ efforts. "That takes a while."
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What: Columbus North High School’s Columbus United Virtual Benefit Concert to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. The concert will feature 30 acts in perhaps a three-hour, recorded, virtual show.
When: 3 p.m. Saturday.
Where: The CNHS Key Club YouTube.com channel. Donations can be made there.
Information: Club secretary Sanjana Jain at [email protected]
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