Student organizers of Voices for the Vineyard, a concert benefiting those affected by the recent Northern California wildfires in Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties, raised $5,000 this Sunday.
Hosted by Kappa Alpha fraternity and co-sponsored by the Stanford Concert Network, the two-hour-long concert featured student singers and performers.
Margaret Murray ’20, Kiki Couchman ’20, Emma Glickman ’20, Angela Black ’20 and Britt Mikkelson ’18 were the primary organizers of the event.
“There’s a lot of displaced people and a lot of places still don’t have power … The question remains of where these people are going,” Couchman, a Sonoma County resident, said. “Within the community a lot of people are coming together. People are willing to donate and help out.”
Many students attended the concert in order to express encouragement to peers who live in the regions affected by the fire.
“I came to this event to show solidarity with the community and all those affected,” Mortaza Moradi ’20 said. “But mainly I came just to show support to the friends that have suffered so much and have lost so much.”
“Our hearts always go out to [the victims of the fires],” Black said. “I know a lot of people who are displaced, some people lost their homes. We are really doing this for them and it’s always a benefit to give Stanford students a good time and to see their peers do something great towards a bigger cause.”
All the proceeds from the donations and the sale of stickers, T-shirts and pizza at the event will be sent directly to the Redwood Empire Food Bank, an organization that is providing critical meals to the victims of the natural disaster.
According to the official State of California Fire Summary, there are still six active fires on the verge of being contained. More than 1,800 firefighters are trying to extinguish hot spots and perform fire suppression repair work at the moment.
The concert’s organizers continue to accept donations through Venmo (@voices-for-the-vineyards) or directly through the Redwood Empire Food Bank online donation page.
Contact Marco Mora-Mendoza at marcom3 ‘at’ stanford.edu