The First Annual Band Aid Hawaii benefit concert for the American Red Cross will be held from 4-9pm at The Waterfront at the Aloha Tower, and will showcase top local bands. 

BET, Ooklah the Moc, Beach 5 and others will be featured. 

The event will also feature ono food and a silent auction, as well as the company of others who want to have a good time and care about the world. 

Our goal is to show the world that Hawaii has a heart and that we would like to extend our Aloha spirit internationally, even as far as to the other side of the world.

Background:  In June of 2008, the co-founders of the event, St. John Kim and James Dowsett, came up with the idea of creating an annual band concert to spread Aloha in other countries in an effort to encourage international concern and awareness.  With this idea at hand, St. John and James invited us, along with other high school students, to band together to organize, plan and launch this event to realize our vision that through music, kids can inspire connections in our community as well as connections throughout the world.  Other students on the team include Kelsey Ige, Nicole Ikeda, Mandy Takiguchi, Kaitlyn Yim, Jenna Louie, Kevin Chung and George Tang.

Beneficiary:  We have chosen to donate half off the proceeds from our concert to benefit a global cause—the measles initiative in Africa managed by the American Red Cross—and a local cause—the Hawaii Chapter of the American Red Cross. In this way, we can share the Aloha spirit with countries half way around the world as well as with people in our own community.  We want to show that we, students in Hawaii, care and want to show our support.

We learned about the measles epidemic in Africa and were shocked by the astounding number of victims this epidemic has affected. According to the Measles Initiative, although a vaccination exists for it, measles is a disease that has a death rate that has soared to 600 children a day.  However, even more astonishing is that one vaccination costs less than a dollar.  Half of the Band Aid proceeds will go to purchasing vaccinations, administering the vaccinations in hospitals, and helping clinics set up in accessible locations for people to go to.  Because the vaccination is affordable for donors, a dollar donated is a life saved in Africa. (Find out more at www.measlesinitiative.org).

At the same time, we realize that there are problems that need to be addressed here at home as well.  Half of the Band Aid proceeds will support the American Red Cross Hawaii State Chapter so that they will have funds to help initiatives locally.  The purpose of the Hawaii Chapter of the Red Cross is to prevent and alleviate human suffering by providing disaster relief and teaching lifesaving skills to the people of Hawaii, to help people prevent and prepare for emergencies, and also to provide support to military families.  Along with spreading Aloha to those who need it in Africa, we will spread Aloha to our fellow neighbors and friends here at home.