Raising money for Haiti never sounded so good

Attendees lined the stairways and filled the Student Center pit Tuesday night for the Haiti benefit concert “Schools Without Borders,” hosted by the Public Relations Student Society of America.

The concert was created to raise money for “Doctors Without Borders,” an international humanitarian program that is currently aiding Haiti with medical assistance.

After an article in the Gloucester County Times, a preview in last week’s Whit and a massive Facebook event invitation, the artists and PRSSA were still unsure of how many people to expect. Roughly 150 students and outside fans attended the benefit show.

The lineup included Dan Wythoff, Jeff Kummer (of The Early November), Algernon Cadwallader, I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business and Person L.

Rowan junior secondary education and English major Dan Wythoff of Mt. Laurel, N.J. opened the show with “I was Born in the Month of Rain.” He said he was happy to be a part of the show because he has mostly played in coffee shops.

Wythoff was followed by Jeff Kummer, of The Early November, who was excited to give his first solo performance at a live show. The crowd pushed their way to the front of the stage and interacted with Kummer between songs.

Algernon Cadwallader, I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business and Person L seemed to be a crowd favorites. They began their sets by reminding the crowd that the show was for Haiti and encouraged them to donate to the cause.

Person L energized the crowd. The band concluded the show with, “Storms” after the crowd begged for an encore.

“I’m happy it’s going to help,” said Kenny Vasoli lead singer of Person L. “It’s easy to forget what happened in Haiti. Hopefully things like this keep happening.” 

Sophmore English education major Lauren Addeo heard about the show from a friend and all of the other advertisements for the show. Addeo thought this was a good way to raise money for Haiti.

“It draws in people who didn’t do anything yet for Haiti,” Addeo said. 

The night’s roster of bands was selected by Alan Dodd of Williamstown, N.J. who has been involved with promoting local music since 1998. He contacted the bands and with the help of PRSSA president Rebecca Cicione they planned the show in less than a month.

“It’s one of those things where you automatically want to help,” Dodd said. “And of course being so far removed from N.J …  me going to Haiti – highly unlikely. I’m not part of Red Cross or any organization that does hands-on work. 

“So what do I do? I love putting on shows.”

His efforts were much appreciated by everyone attending the show, including the bands.

“Alan has a good heart,” Kummer said.

Senior chemistry major Joseph Conboy said the concert was a great way to raise money for Haiti.

“It’s one of the best ways to get money for this,” Conboy said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that PRSSA could raise more money for other causes with shows like this.”

PRSSA hoped to raise $1,000, but they did that and more. The total amount raised from the show was $1,200.

“Maybe the rain left some people who were just coming here to be social … left them home,” Dodd said. “­­The people that really wanted to be here were here and that’s all we really wanted.”

All of the bands featured on stage are holding shows in the next few weeks. Check their Facebook pages for more information. For more ways to help donate to Haiti, you can go to: rowan.edu/clubs/rowanrelief.