At Heroic U, we offer fun, relevant literature classes for creative and independent-thinking students. So it’s no surprise that such creativity spills outside of the classroom and into the real world!
Three Heroic U students who spent several years together in our high school classes started playing music together. Now, even though they are all attending college, Brandt Wilkus, Doodle Kirk, and Chris Normille, along with Chris’ brother, Nick Normille (who I also taught but not in Heroic U), have a band called The Offbeats. They specialize in playing family-friendly classic rock.
While this is mostly just a hobby and creative outlet for them, they wanted to use their talents to make a difference for people during these tough times. So, on Wednesday, July 29 at 7:00 PM, they gave a free live-streamed online concert (via Zoom and Facebook Live) to benefit A Place at the Table (APATT), Raleigh’s pay-what-you can cafe.
APATT opened in 2018 with a mission of providing everyone who showed up with a delicious meal and a place they felt welcome, regardless of their ability to pay. It operated with a suggested price, accepted however much people could pay, or allowed people to volunteer in exchange for their meal.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 the volunteer option is not possible due to social distancing and other new hygiene regulations. However, with the economic fallout from COVID-19, there is more need for food assistance than ever. In the first 7 weeks APATT donated 9,000 meals, which was more than the meals they gave away in all of 2018.
All proceeds from the concert, which featured summer-related hits, went to APATT. Each $10 donation covered the cost for one meal. The band was hosted by the Triangle Center for Spiritual Living, which provided the livestream technology and online donation collection.
In the end, the concert raised $980 for APATT. So that’s nearly 100 people who will receive free meals from these students’ performance. Congratulations to the Offbeats for using their time and talents to make a difference in the world!