Audience rains love on Houston
Anne Vaaler and John Simon, of PEACE Lutheran Church, sing a duet of “Pie Jesu” during the Texas Hurricane Fundraising Concert on Sunday, supporting relief and rebuilding in the Houston area.
People donated close to $8,000 at PEACE Lutheran Church’s recent fundraising concert to support relief and rebuilding in the Houston, Texas, area, devastated by Hurricane Harvey.
The impromptu “Texas Hurricane Fundraising Concert” drew at least 170 people to hear 31 musicians perform at PEACE in Grass Valley, Calif., on Sunday. The concert raised $7,676 and will be sent to Lutheran Disaster Response, said the Rev. Eileen Smith Le Van, pastor of PEACE.
In addition, members of PEACE donated generously, and checks continued to arrive from around the community in the days after the concert. Our new total is $9,506! Thank you for your kind support of our brothers and sisters in Houston!
At Sunday’s concert, music ranged from classical to opera, jazz to pop. The audience got involved with a sing-a-long of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and other folk songs. They roared with laughter as organist Walt Strony closed with his signature original composition: Multiple variations, in a range of musical styles, of the Oscar Meyer wiener advertisement ditty.
Lutheran Disaster Response is an international outreach of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It had affiliates on the ground even before Harvey hit to prepare for the storm, according to the LDR website. The program’s salaries and overhead are paid for by Lutheran churches throughout the year, so 100 percent of donations will be used for relief efforts in the Houston area, Smith Le Van added.
“Recovery efforts are expected to take years, and Lutheran Disaster Response will be there to accompany those affected through every phase of this disaster,” the outreach stated on its website.
Donations to Hurricane Harvey relief still are being received at Peace’s secure website.
At least 45 people have been confirmed dead in Harvey’s wake; flooding continues in some areas as swollen reservoirs release water; residents of outlying areas remain without electricity and staples; and 13 toxic waste sites threaten to pollute flooded areas, the Associated Press reported. President Donald Trump has asked Congress for $7.9 billion to rebuild in the region.
You can still give
PEACE member Joe Souza, on trumpet, and Dave Fenolio, on accordion, from the Cracker Jack Jazz Band, performed during the Texas Hurricane Fundraising Concert benefitting relief and rebuilding in the Houston area.
Donations will continue to be needed — and accepted gratefully — to rebuild in the Houston area. All donations made on this website will go to Lutheran Disaster Response. NONE of the funds will be used to pay salaries or overhead of this organization. Rebuilding is expected to take many years.
Please note that online donations go through Paypal, which charges us a 2.2% transaction fee. Beyond that, 100% of your gift goes to relief and rebuilding efforts on the ground, directed by Lutheran Disaster Response.
Checks sent to us, however, DO NOT have any transaction fee deducted. If you would prefer to send a check, please:
- Make out your check to Lutheran Disaster Response.
- Write “Hurricane Harvey” in the memo line.
- Mail it to PEACE Lutheran Church, 828 W. Main St., Grass Valley, CA 95945
Thank you for your generous support!