MOC concert to raise money for cancer fight
By Catharin Shepard
Published in News on October 24, 2010 1:50 AM
MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive College students are tuning their guitars and memorizing lyrics to sing for a cure at the third annual Sing For Another Day breast cancer benefit concert.
Mount Olive alumnus and men's residence life coordinator Justin Sherwood founded the Sing For Another Day concert several years ago to raise money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure non-profit organization. He wanted to find a way that students at the college could use their talents to support cancer research.
"I thought to myself, how could I raise the money? And then I was like, there are students at the school who are good at singing, so I was like, that would be a great idea, a concert to raise money," Sherwood said.
Once he started asking around to get performers involved with Sing For Another Day, other members of the college community chipped in to help. Eventually the concert turned into a campus-wide effort.
"I got some friends in the art department to help with flyers, some of the business department to help with the advertising and the music department to help with the singers. Basically utilized what the school was offering in order to put on the concert," Sherwood said.
Although tickets are only $1 each, or $2 at the door the night of the concert, the Sing For Another Day concert brought in $500 for cancer research its first year and $300 in its second year.
The students will perform Monday night, playing a wide variety of original music and some popular music pieces. Convincing students to join in the concerts is fairly easy once they hear what the money is used for, and it also gives the musicians a chance to get another performance under their belts, Sherwood said.
"Most students are excited to showcase what kind of talent they have and want people to hear them, and at the same time it's for a good cause," he said.
This is the first year that student Kelli Kosuda will be a part of the concert, but she attended the past few years as well. Raising money to help others fight cancer has a personal significance for her.
"And for me, it has taken on a new meaning since I lost my grandpa to cancer as well as a family friend just recently. I love music and performing, so it's wonderful that I can be able to do something I love to help the people that I love," Miss Kosuda said.
The Sing For Another Day concert will be held Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Southern Bank Auditorium on the Mount Olive College campus.