The University hosted the inaugural Night of Hope, a benefit concert that was organized by Aid for Change, an organization that is new
to campus.
The concert raised $300 and received around 215 canned goods, with all proceeds going to the Cherry Street Mission in Toledo, an organization that provides for the homeless and poor
in Toledo.
“The amount of money we raised and the number of cans we raised for a beginning organization is just really exciting,” vice president of Aid for Change Audra McMahon said.
Throughout the night there were performances by the Kingdom M’Powerment Praise Team, the BGSU Gospel Choir, University acapella group Not Yet Perfect, Gregory Harrison and The Voices at BGSU concert choir, who performed three songs including “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”.
The night concluded with a performance of “Carol of the Bells” featuring all of the musical groups that performed throughout the evening.
Reverend Daniel Rogers, President and CEO of Cherry Street Mission Ministries, thanked the performers and expressed gratitude for everyone that showed support of the organizations and
the evening.
“A night of hope is tremendous for us because that’s what we do 365 nights a year. We offer hope and stability, we offer a chance for someone to gather themselves and see if they can elevate themselves to a different perspective and a different place and if they could see something different,” Rogers said. “Thank you so much for providing a night of hope here that will live all year long.”
McMahon and president of Aid for Change, Allison Palmer, shared how Aid for Change started as it was based on an idea they both felt very
strongly about.
“We both shared one passion: the love of helping others,” McMahon said. “We started Aid for Change in order to unite other students who are passionate about helping others in an effort to make a real change in
our community.”
Palmer appreciated the efforts of everyone who helped with the concert and the performances.
“I feel overjoyed by how many people came out and by all the performances,” Palmer said. “I was just astounded by the talent. I was so happy that we all came together for this night to help others and not just for ourselves.”
McMahon was amazed at the turnout for the evening and shared her thoughts on what she wants Aid for Change to accomplish in the future.
“In the future, we just hope to continue to do things like this, branch out, do more diverse things, stay in the community to help people here and help as many as possible,” McMahon said. “We are going to try to do this again next year and try to do it even bigger and better. I’m just so thankful and it’s so exciting that it came together and was a really big success.”
