Show raises $5K for Haiti 
2/3/2010
“Helping Haiti: The Best of Lakeside,” Saturday evening’s benefit to raise money for relief efforts in Haiti, was both an artistic hit and a financial success.
More than 450 members of the Lakeside community turned out to enjoy spoken word poetry, singing by the Acafellas and the Bellas, and other acts by some of Lakeside’s finest talents–raising nearly $5,000 dollars.
The evening was dreamed up and organized by one of teacher Amy Kaz’s sophomore English classes. The class decided to direct the money raised to Partners in Health, an organization headed by Dr. Paul Farmer, who was the subject of the book Mountains Beyond Mountains. Farmer spoke at Lakeside several years ago.
The class members did everything from writing the script, to designing the program, to signing up student acts, to rounding up donations for everything from printing the programs to coffee sold at the benefit.
The suggested donation was $8 for parents or guardians and $5 for students, but everyone was encouraged to give what they could.
Performers included the Upper School Jazz Band, the Acafellas and the Bellas (the male and female acapella groups), Connor B. '11 and Lennart J. '11, Nicole L. ’11, Simoné A. '11, Khatsini S. ’10, Dezmond G. '10, Sam B. '11, Spencer T. ’10, Brothers From Another (Coleman D.-J. '10 and Isaiah S. '10), and the Lakeside Swing Dance Club. Emi L. '10 was the emcee.
Other Lakeside students, including Sewa A. '10 and Camille S. ’10, have also been raising money for Haiti relief, by selling baked goods, beans-and-rice meals, and ribbons in the color of Haiti’s flag. These efforts raised additional monies, with $552 raised for the beans-and-rice meals alone in just three days. That brings the Lakeside community's donations to Partners in Health so far to $5,411.
You can watch Lakeside’s donations grow, read more about Partners in Health, and give additional donations, at: http://standwithhaiti.org/page/outreach/view/grouprecurring/LakesideSchool