The magic of music, a belief in excellence and the dedication of youth to improving and supporting their community can't be anything but a winning combination of skills and joy.
On April 25 and 26, the hip hop band Wilderness Crew will give two performances at the Roberts Creek Hall. The first date is for students and youth, the second for adults. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. for the first show and at 8 for the second.
The concerts are fundraisers for the Youth Sunshine Coast Organization of Philanthropy (SCOOP) under the umbrella of the Sunshine Coast Com-munity Foundation. Last Tuesday band members and Youth SCOOP members met to talk about the upcoming concerts, the music and what the money raised will be used for. Eli Dill, Brett Mjanes and Eric Amberg, the three members of Wilderness Crew, are all their mid-20s and have grown up together knowing each other from pre-school and Grade 6. Their love of music, like their friendship, goes back a long way, and so does their appreciation for the quality of life they have grown up with on the Sunshine Coast. Wilderness Crew's music is more than hip hop - it's the spoken word of hip hop with an eclectic fusion that includes reggae, blues, jazz and rock. Accomplished musicians with good tones and harmonies, Wilderness Crew's music reflects the members' friendship with each other.
Mjanes said getting involved with Youth SCOOP and the fundraising concerts has been "a humbling experience for us." He said the students not only know the band's music, they are fans and from what he's been told, tickets for the first night's concert were essentially snapped up and sold out as soon as they went on sale. Dill, Mjanes and Amberg say working with youth in benefit for the community in this type of a fundraising event seemed like a natural fit. "Our music is positive and we're supportive of the Coast. It made sense to get involved in something like this. [Roberts Creek] is a great place to have a show," said Amberg.
Youth SCOOP members Ellen Green, Quinn Runkle, Luke McQuaid, Sharli Clayton and Matthew Hewitt and youth advisor Sam Adams were excited about the fundraiser, and also about working with Wilderness Crew to bring something fun to students and the community, and at the same time supporting the music they love by local musicians.
Runkle said fundraisers like this are a way for youth to get involved with community leadership and to build up their endowment pot to fund the grants that promote, support and honour youth on the Coast.
Youth SCOOP and Adams remind people that the deadline for grant application is April 30. To find out more about project criteria and apply for a Youth SCOOP grant, see www.sccfoundation.com.
