A crowd of over 200 gathered at Sadie’s by the Sea this past Saturday, October 26th, for the free Hurricane Helene Benefit Concert. The event, billed as an evening of dance and music by American Samoa’s most beloved entertainers, was a fundraiser to provide relief to those who lost their homes during the recent hurricanes in the eastern US mainland.
The total raised was $3,054.
The orchestra for the evening was organized by Ulale Ulale and featured a host of musicians and dancers throughout the night.
Attendees contributed by throwing dollars during rousing performances and by stuffing money into a Red Cross donation bucket. Highlights of the night included a siva Samoa and donation presented by Miss American Samoa; and a $2000 donation from the Rotary Club of Pago Pago who attended the benefit as part of the club’s 55th anniversary celebration.
On hand to collect and count the donations were volunteers from American Red Cross’s American Samoa Office. Many individuals, families and businesses gave generously.
Pauga Joey Cummings, who served as MC for the event, said, “We are very grateful! It’s an amazing feeling to bring the entertainers of American Samoa together for a good cause. The crowd was wonderful and my fellow musicians really brought the feel-good vibes. We are particularly thankful for Sadie’s by the Sea for allowing us the space, Red Cross for giving us a legitimate conduit to send the funds, 93KHJ for the unending promotion and the generosity of the people of American Samoa.”
The time and talents of all involved, including the venue were provided at no charge to insure that all of the money raised would be deposited into the American Red Cross’s Disaster Relief Fund earmarked for hurricane relief efforts. Late donations are being accepted through the end of the week at the Red Cross office and at the offices and studios of 93KHJ.
