There was a rocking start to spring break as Ripon High’s Rock & Roll Club worked long and hard to put on a very grand show at RHS on Saturday, April 12. Seven local bands and five RHS music programs performed all afternoon, and the event was able to raise $1,500 for the California Fire Foundation Wildlife and Disaster Relief!
Club President James Wilkins had the idea to host a fundraiser for the victims still recovering from the Los Angeles fires in January. It started off as a senior Elder Project for his leadership class, but later got the attention and interest from those in the Rock & Roll Club.
“I wanted to leave something behind as an expression of my love for music and for the Rock & Roll Club,” says Wilkins, “and I wanted to show our community that music can be used for something more than just entertainment. I wanted to try to bring our community together through music.”
Wilkins brought together all of his and his band mates’ ideas. With help from sophomore Vice President Chloe Hager and her family, Advisor Scott Sikma, the Wilkins family, Kathy Sikma and the Chamber of Commerce, the Rock & Roll Club members were able to make this event a success.
There were a few stands for vendor items, including hot dogs donated by Ripon Fire Local 3880, snacks donated by club members, gift basket auctions donated by local businesses, and food catered by Meat Market.
“Hosting our own benefit concert was truly one of the coolest things we could have done as a new club,” says Hager. “We raised a lot more money than we expected, and we had so much fun doing it. I can’t wait for the next one!”
The event began at noon with four of the RHS music programs: orchestra, junior high band, jazz band and choir. Then, all kinds of bands from acoustic to heavy metal got to play and give their bands exposure during their chosen time slots over the next several hours, with the Rock & Roll Club closing out the night as the sun went down.
The first ever Ripon Live Aid seemed to be a good turn out and many people got to be in one place where their interests were around them all day. While also being something enjoyable for everyone in the Ripon community, the club raised a lot of money for charity. It is always amazing to see our Ripon High students come together to create something big, especially for a good cause!
“[The fire] hurt so many and just to try to put myself in that position, I know it would hurt me in every way possible,” says sophomore club member Juliana Cardenas. “I knew I just wanted to help in any way that I could.”
