CCF hosts benefit concert for Kenya

It may not be Christmas, but the spirit of giving is certainly in the air. The Christian Campus Fellowship (CCF) sponsored a free concert Monday night to benefit the Kenyan Masaai tribe, which has suffered through that area’s worst drought since 1961.

Sean McConnell, the Californias and Suburban Desperados performed at the concert. Free food from Chic fil A was given away. In addition, presentations were given to raise awareness of the Maasai tribe’s situation. Stevie Hale, a fourth-year Industrial Engineering major, headed the planning and execution of the benefit concert.

About 600 students showed up to the event, which was less than Hale expected, but he was nonetheless very pleased that CCF met its goal of raising $15,000.

“We hit our goal—we got just over $15,000. [The concert] was a huge success,” he said. “That was a blessing to see how people could get together to change people’s lives.”

CCF raised about $22,000 in total for Mission Masaai, an initiative it headed up about six weeks ago. The organization employed various means of fund raising to come up with the money, including selling coffee and collecting donations online.

The idea for the concert grew out of an idea to offer a free concert for the sake of bringing the community together. Once CCF began its Mission Masaai campaign, Hale realized it could be a great way to raise money and awareness.

“The Masaai people are getting hit especially hard by this [drought]; the government regulations are making their land [disappear], their cattle are dying and people are starving to death.”

“The concert was a kickoff to [Mission Maasai],” Hale said. “There are lots of ways to donate money. You can always come to CCF, where we have a box for donations. You can donate online.”

Since Mission Maasai began only 6 weeks ago, Hale had to plan quickly. Luckily, he was able to take advantage of an available spot in the Ferst Center. “The Ferst Center happened to have that day, April 10, open for us to book. Usually you have to book a year in advance; this was really a blessing,” Hale said.

Hale said the money will go directly to the ones in need because of CCF’s contacts in Africa.

“We have contacts with a couple missionaries [in East Africa], so we can send money directly out there without going through other organizations—we know every dollar we send will reach [the Maasai].”

“The first time you try to [organize] something like this, 100 percent success is so rare. I was very happy. My goal is $100,000 by the end of the summer for the Maasai people.”

CCF is planning to provide assistance to the Maasai by giving food, restocking animals and providing education. They plan to accomplish these goals by continual fund-raising efforts. For more information on Mission Maasai and the drought in East Africa visit www.missionmaasai.com.