rhiannonyee Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:13 amFBLA BENEFIT CONCERT
By Rhiannon Yee
The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) held their 3rd annual Benefit Concert on Feb. 11 to start off the long weekend, and they definitely started things off with a bang!
The FBLA Benefit Concert, which was held at the Arcadia Presbyterian Church, featured a plethora of local talent, such as singing, acting, and dancing, and even included performances from YouTube stars, Jason Chen and Cathy Nguyen. FBLA puts on this concert as a fundraiser for their community service project, and Vice President of Service, junior Justine Lee, adds, “because of our success…this will be our third year holding this event [and] a portion of our proceeds will go towards Children's Wish Foundation International, which grants the wishes of children facing life-threatening illnesses. The officer team all decided it would be a great charity for us to select as it brought joy to these children's lives.” And since the Arcadia Presbyterian Church was jam-packed with audience members, Children’s Wish Foundation International presumably received a hefty donation from FBLA.
AHS turned our several talented singers, as well as a fascinating magic act and a hilarious skit performed by sophomores Amit Akula and Amy Wen. Amit says, “[our] duo interpretation is an event that we perform in Speech and Debate. I think it’s great because it shows how much variety this benefit concert has and the rich diversity of the acts that the show provides for its viewers.” Amit and Amy’s skit left many an audience member doubled over in their chair laughing, including sophomore Megan White, who “never knew AHS had such amazing talent,” and was particularly impressed by the duo interpretation, saying “it was hilarious and witty…I don’t know how they memorized so many lines so perfectly!”
All of the performers were especially brave to get up in front of such a large audience, but were spurred on by the energy of the crowd and the fact that all their efforts were going toward a good cause. Junior Adriana Benevento, says dancing for a huge audience was “a bit scary at first, but once [I] got on stage, [I] got lost in the music…[but] it was an amazing feeling doing something [I] love for the benefit of someone else.” Junior Jaslyn Elders agrees, saying,“at first I tried out for the concert just because I get nervous in front of huge crowds while singing… [but ]there is no way I would ever give up an opportunity to help someone in need. It makes singing even more meaningful to me.”
For the highlight of the night, YouTube singing sensations Jason Chen and Cathy Nguyen finished out the show with wonderful performances that had the crowd on its feet. FBLA Ambassador Leslie Chang claims that these two singers were a big part of the reason that the concert was so popular, saying “I think [the concert] went really well, considering that we didn’t start advertising until the week before, which shows that Jason and Cathy really had a lot of pull with the audience.” After the show, audience members swarmed the two young stars for pictures and autographs, acting as if they were celebrities fresh off the red carpet.
At the end of the night, both performers and audience members went home with smiles on their faces, armed with the knowledge that they contributed to a good cause and had an exciting night they’ll never forget!
By Rhiannon Yee
The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) held their 3rd annual Benefit Concert on Feb. 11 to start off the long weekend, and they definitely started things off with a bang!
The FBLA Benefit Concert, which was held at the Arcadia Presbyterian Church, featured a plethora of local talent, such as singing, acting, and dancing, and even included performances from YouTube stars, Jason Chen and Cathy Nguyen. FBLA puts on this concert as a fundraiser for their community service project, and Vice President of Service, junior Justine Lee, adds, “because of our success…this will be our third year holding this event [and] a portion of our proceeds will go towards Children's Wish Foundation International, which grants the wishes of children facing life-threatening illnesses. The officer team all decided it would be a great charity for us to select as it brought joy to these children's lives.” And since the Arcadia Presbyterian Church was jam-packed with audience members, Children’s Wish Foundation International presumably received a hefty donation from FBLA.
AHS turned our several talented singers, as well as a fascinating magic act and a hilarious skit performed by sophomores Amit Akula and Amy Wen. Amit says, “[our] duo interpretation is an event that we perform in Speech and Debate. I think it’s great because it shows how much variety this benefit concert has and the rich diversity of the acts that the show provides for its viewers.” Amit and Amy’s skit left many an audience member doubled over in their chair laughing, including sophomore Megan White, who “never knew AHS had such amazing talent,” and was particularly impressed by the duo interpretation, saying “it was hilarious and witty…I don’t know how they memorized so many lines so perfectly!”
All of the performers were especially brave to get up in front of such a large audience, but were spurred on by the energy of the crowd and the fact that all their efforts were going toward a good cause. Junior Adriana Benevento, says dancing for a huge audience was “a bit scary at first, but once [I] got on stage, [I] got lost in the music…[but] it was an amazing feeling doing something [I] love for the benefit of someone else.” Junior Jaslyn Elders agrees, saying,“at first I tried out for the concert just because I get nervous in front of huge crowds while singing… [but ]there is no way I would ever give up an opportunity to help someone in need. It makes singing even more meaningful to me.”
For the highlight of the night, YouTube singing sensations Jason Chen and Cathy Nguyen finished out the show with wonderful performances that had the crowd on its feet. FBLA Ambassador Leslie Chang claims that these two singers were a big part of the reason that the concert was so popular, saying “I think [the concert] went really well, considering that we didn’t start advertising until the week before, which shows that Jason and Cathy really had a lot of pull with the audience.” After the show, audience members swarmed the two young stars for pictures and autographs, acting as if they were celebrities fresh off the red carpet.
At the end of the night, both performers and audience members went home with smiles on their faces, armed with the knowledge that they contributed to a good cause and had an exciting night they’ll never forget!