 |
| Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins The Heart of Christmas Benefit Concert was held Thursday at the Caribou Performing Arts Center to benefit Homeless Services of Aroostook. The special concert featured a long list of guest singers including vocalist Stephanie Plourde, pictured here singing with her father, guitarist Nathan Grass. The benefit concert raised over $5,000 for HSA. |
By Theron Larkins
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — On Thursday, Dec. 18 the Heart of Christmas Benefit Concert was held at the Caribou Performing Arts Center as a special presentation to help benefit the Homeless Services of Aroostook.
The benefit concert featured a long list of guest singers including, vocalist Stephanie Plourde, who was not only the feature act, but who, along with her husband Doug has worked for the past month to coordinate and organize the special event.
Plourde is an Aroostook County native who has had a passion for singing and performing her entire life. She was joined by special guests including guitarist Nathan Grass, who is Plourde’s father, pianist Margaret Cyr, violinist Stephen Boody, pianist Lukas Lagasse and singing group The Mistletones — a group of Teague Park Elementary school fourth- and fifth-grade vocalists directed by Amy Hunter.
“I first thought of putting on a Christmas concert back in November, after I performed at the Caribou High School fundraiser, “So You Think You’ve Got Talent,” said Plourde. “I love to sing and I love the Christmas season, so a Christmas concert naturally came to mind. Then, I thought to make it a benefit concert for Homeless Services of Aroostook, located in Presque Isle, and talked to the shelter’s director Stephen Eyler to make it happen. I thought, ‘What better place to help out during the holidays, than the homeless shelter,’ and folks who have no ‘home’ to call their own.”
Plourde explained that at first, her objective was to raise funds for HSA, but as the weeks progressed, her view broadened.
“I realized that there are probably others in our community who may be as intimidated as I once was about getting involved with such a need, and this concert is an enjoyable and non-threatening way to do that,” she said. “I hope that by bringing people together to support such a cause it will open their eyes to the desperate needs there are among our own people — our neighbors, essentially. Ultimately, my hope is that we all realize that we are blessed and we have so much to be thankful for. There has been a huge response to the concert already, and great support from the community.”
According to Plourde, the proceeds from the concert far exceeded her expectations, as the benefit has raised $5,100 for HSA.
“We found a missing sponsor check, bringing the final total to $5,100!” said Plourde. “The night far exceeded my expectations in every way. With everything considered, the weather, this being the first year of the event, I thought the concert was an absolute success. My goal was to have 250 in attendance, and there were 248. There were over 300 tickets sold however, so if the weather had been more friendly, we may have had a bigger turnout.”
Plourde’s Heart of Christmas Benefit Concert was meant not only to provide Christmas cheer to all those who were able to take part in the event, but more importantly to benefit the cause of ending homelessness in Aroostook County.
Homeless Services of Aroostook, which is located in Presque Isle, is dedicated to ending homelessness in the area and has been striving to do so since opening their shelter in 1984. “The donations that we received for the HSA totaled over $5,000 and with the ultimate goal having been able to bless Homeless Services of Aroostook, I feel we did that,” Plourde added. “Plus, the Christmas gifts that were brought in for the children of the shelter were also a blessing. Everything went better than expected.”
All shelter residents are provided with a case manager who works with every individual and family to establish a plan, providing a road map back to independent living. According to HSA Director Eyler, the case managers advocate for and connect shelter residents to the programs and services available to them to meet their specific needs. Their compassionate staff makes every effort to decrease the stress of homelessness by checking in new clients professionally, taking time to review rules and policies and answering any questions while ensuring confidentiality at all times.
For Plourde, spearheading a concert of this magnitude was not something she had ever done before, but she explained that the rewarding feeling she found herself experiencing was well worth all the effort.
“Organizing a concert of this scale was entirely new to me, so it was a great learning experience. The first few weeks were a rush of collecting sponsors and getting advertising out,” said Plourde. “Publicity was the biggest obstacle, but after people started hearing about the concert, it has gained both speed and support. Everyone I have spoken to has been thrilled to hear about it and is in full support. Many have commented along the lines of, “We need something like this. This is a good thing!”
Plourde, who has a degree in music education with a vocal performance focus, only had about a month to prepare, but she had little doubt that on the Dec. 18, everything would fall into place, and according to her, it was not only a success, but far more of one than she could have ever hoped for.
“The idea came to me about the middle of November, so I’ve only had a little over four weeks to prepare. The idea of doing a concert of some type has always been in the back of my mind but this time, it has actually come to life. My prayer is that it gives someone else a better life,” she added, while also remembering how receptive those in attendance had been. “The audience was super responsive, which made it quite comfortable hosting and singing. As a result, I had a ton of fun! Every person involved, from the performers to the stage crew to the attendees, they all had a part in making this the special evening that it was.”
For those who were not able to attend or for additional donations make checks payable to: Sister Mary O’Donnell Shelter P.O. Box 1753 Presque Isle, ME 04769, or visit their website at www.aroostookhomeless.org/donations/.com.
Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins
The Heart of Christmas Benefit Concert was held Thursday at the Caribou Performing Arts Center to benefit Homeless Services of Aroostook. The concert raised over $5,000 for HSA and also collected a number of toys for children at the homeless shelter. Prior to the ending of the concert, all the performers took to the stage for one last song. Pictured, from left, are Anna Jandreau, Darian Langille, Kallee Parent, Selena Savage, Erinn Kelly, Nathan Grass, Stephanie Plourde, Alexis Gustin, Chloe Sleeper, Hannah Beauchamp, and Lukas Lagasse and Amy Hunter, in back.
