A student-run club at Crossroads School is inviting the Santa Monica community to its second annual charity concert Saturday at noon at in Santa Monica.
Kids for Kololo has raised $11,000 toward its $15,000 goal, with all proceeds going to fund the meal program at Kololo School in Kembata, Ethiopia — an institution that provides most of its students with their only daily meal.
"The Santa Monica community has always been super welcoming and supportive of our work," said Melese Light-Orr, Founder of the club. "We'd love to have that continue in the future."
In March, a team of 14 physicians from Addis Ababa conducted health screenings at the school and found that more than 50% of students showed signs of malnutrition.
"They eat rice and beans, and that's the children's only meal the entire day," Light-Orr said. "If students don't have the meal program, or if they don't get to go to school, they might end up having to do a full day of work on their family's farm in Kololo, and they don't get to have an actual meal that whole day — and that's a kid."
Club co-presidents Light-Orr and Shiv Munjal said this year's fundraising efforts aim not only to preserve the lunch program but eventually expand it to include more nutritious options such as bread and greens.
The event, billed as "Shine A Light," marks the second year of the annual fundraiser. Last year's concert raised more than $20,000, which organizers said is being used to bring electricity to the school and to families in Kololo for the first time.
This year's concert will open with a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony before live performances from nine student acts spanning jazz, blues, rock and pop, including The Bonkers, Jet Lag, Sound Roads and Crossroads Jazz 4. Participating musicians also include students from New Roads and Geffen Academy, which the club said reflects its goal of inspiring other schools to join the effort.
"Most of the students involved in this club live in Santa Monica," Munjal said. "The community has been so embracing of our cause, and we're very grateful for everybody who has helped us throughout all this."
Tickets and donations are available at https://givebutter.com/shine-a-light-ii-a-concert-for-kololo-ta05zr/meleselightorr3.