Iowa natives hope benefit will motivate others to give
By CHRISTINA YOON Special to the Daily Press
DOWNTOWN For weeks, Iowa natives Tyler and Jessica Kamerman followed the devastation of the floods that ravaged their home state while living almost 2,000 miles away in Playa del Rey.
As hundreds of Iowans were evacuated, injured and put out of business, the couple decided that simply watching the news at home was not enough. They sprang to action and got on the phone, organizing Reach Out, a benefit concert and auction to help flood victims. Reach Out will start tonight at 14 Below on 14th Street near Santa Monica Boulevard. Tickets for the event are $20, and all proceeds will be donated to the United Way of Eastern Iowa.
“These funds will be going to the hardest-hit areas,” said Tyler Kamerman, who by day is a territory manager for Sierra Pacific Windows in Camarillo.
Considering that the need to help Iowans is urgent the Kamermans organized Reach Out in just a week and a half. Tyler Kamerman said that Todd Christiansen, the owner of The Mint bar and night club in Los Angeles and a close friend of the couple, was instrumental in helping to book 14 Below as a venue on short notice.
“We’re doing this quickly so that it’s at the front of people’s minds,” he added.
Reach Out features four eclectic bands on-stage. The Nadas, an Iowa-based band with country, folk and rock influences, will headline the concert. Other acts include L.A.-based bands The Quiet, the Sharon Temple Band and Christopher Hawley Rollers. DJ Quickie Mart, a New Orleans native who moved to Los Angeles after Hurricane Katrina, will spin between sets.
According to Tyler Kamerman, The Nadas have been active in raising funds for flood victims and have already worked with the United Way to perform benefit shows. He said that DJ Quickie Mart was eager to contribute to a cause that he identified with as a Hurricane Katrina victim.
“Everything really fell into place,” said Tyler Kamerman.
The event will also feature an auction of donated items such as restaurant certificates, clothing and items signed by celebrities.
Tyler Kamerman said that he and his wife are still accepting donations for the auction and won’t stop until the time of the event.
The Kamermans, who moved to California from Iowa to pursue acting in 2001, said that most of their families are in Iowa and that many of their friends have been affected by the floods. Tyler Kamerman said that he hopes tonight’s event will raise awareness of the seriousness of the disaster.
“I’m a little frustrated with the lack of urgency to help people out in Iowa,” he said. “Hopefully this small event will challenge somebody to throw a gala event with big-name bands that will raise $100,000 instead of $5,000.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 1, 2008. Read the original PDF.