Entertainment

An effort by locals to put together a benefit concert for the victims of Haiti was met with great success, say organizers and performers alike.

The Helping Hands for Haiti concert was held all day long at the Kelowna Community Theatre Saturday and featured 20 local acts. Admission was by donation and all the money raised went to the Kelowna branch of the Canadian Red Cross, which then earmarked that money for relief efforts in Haiti.

Theatre manager Randy Zahara says the City of Kelowna donated the space to house the event.

"The City has a contingency fund, so whenever they see something that they think is a really good cause, they can actually draw from those funds to pay for rentals at city venues," says Zahara. "When we approached council, of course they said yes right away."

Organizer Greg Murphy says the concert was organized with just two week's notice.

"I play in a local band named Jambalaya," says Murphy, whose day job is with the City's Parks and Recreation department. Murphy says he was at a rehearsal with his band two weeks ago and the band began tossing the idea of a benefit concert around.

"And two weeks later, here we are," says Murphy.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, Murphy was optimistic about the fundraising efforts. "The day's going great ... a long day, but a good one. We started out at a (fundraising goal of) $10,000, but I think we're going to far surpass that."

Several local groups went up on stage during the event to present cheques to the Red Cross.

Devon Bjarnason and Kevin Look of Kevin & Devon played a racuous set early on in the day.

"A friend of mine sent me a text and asked me about it, and just wanted to know if I wanted to get involved," says Look. "And I was like, of course we do."

The bandmates were pleased with the turnout. "The room's pretty full," says Bjarnason. "And I've heard that there's already been a lot of secured donations."