By Wade Coggeshall
The Flyer Group
INDIANAPOLIS — Cleanup from the tornadoes that passed through five Southern Indiana towns in March, and devastated Henryville, is mostly complete. But there’s still plenty of rebuilding to be done, and many residents there don’t have the money to do it.
A group of Indianapolis firefighters is trying to help. They’re staging the “Concert of Hope” this Saturday at Ben Davis High School, 1200 N. Girls School Road. It features 10 performers, a fire truck display, and children’s activities including games and bounce houses. Gates open at noon and the music starts at 1 p.m. Admission is $10, free for children ages 5 and younger.
Concert organizers are working with New Hope in Henryville to get all of the proceeds to tornado victims.
“It’s an association that is local and stays local,” said Warren Sargent, a Lawrence Township firefighter who lives in Brownsburg. “There is no middleman and the administrators aren’t making any money off this. All the funds are literally going to the people who need it.”
Sargent also owns Kings Light Productions. He’s helped stage charitable shows before with fellow firefighter and friend Jeff Owens.
“He called me right after March 2 and said, ‘Hey, how about we do something for the tornado victims in Southern Indiana?’” Sargent said of Owens. “I said, ‘Sure, no problem.’”
They also called Joy Lorch, who works with the Wayne Township Fire Department, to help.
“She’s put on numerous fundraisers,” Sargent said. “She’s 5-foot-nothing and never drinks energy drinks, but you’d swear she drinks a case a day.”
The firefighters organized the Concert of Hope after hearing about the continuing struggles for many tornado victims. There’s one woman who operated a salon out of her garage, which was destroyed. Her homeowner’s insurance only covers up to $1,000 for a private business.
“That was her only source of income,” Sargent said.
They’re also working with residents who lost century-old houses. Many have outdated septic systems and their insurance companies won’t give them the money to rebuild until they update them, which can cost up to $20,000.
“There are people who have money sitting there waiting for them to rebuild, but they don’t have enough of their own money to fix situations like that,” Sargent said. “Those stories are countless.”
Performers at the concert run the gamut of Christian rock (Torn) to country (John Riggins and the Mule Barn Band). Haydon is a Brownsburg-based group. Owens also will perform solo. And another act on the bill, Acme Rock Supply, is comprised of police officers.
“We’ve got some really good bands,” Sargent said. “As soon as they heard about this, they were like, ‘Count me in.’”
The event will also include “Miracle Minute” sessions, in which volunteers will go around collecting money for a specific group. The Henryville Fire Department will be one of the recipients, as well as the Henryville High School Band, which lost its van for transporting instruments.
“We all have that type A personality where we see a need and try to fix it,” Sargent said of his fellow firefighters.
For more information, visit the website at concertofhopeindy.org.
wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com
Republished with permission from The Flyer Group