By Jim Stanford on February 17, 2010
The Miller sisters of Mandatory Air.
In one of the more stunning examples of generosity from skids, Friday night’s Hole Hearts for Haiti benefit party brought in nearly $19,000. That sum will be matched in turn by philanthropist Foster Friess, bringing the total raised to $38,000 for the Haiti Renewal Fund.
“I was overwhelmed by the support from the community and from local businesses,” says organizer Ashley Watson. Ninety businesses contributed.
Local bands Mandatory Air, Chanman Roots Band, Jet Black Ninja Funkgrass Unit and Soul Impressions and DJs Cut La Whut and Mr. Whipple pitched in to pack the Pink Garter Theater. The turnout was one of the best ever for such an event, especially for a cause so far away from Jackson Hole.
Friess, the investor turned activist, recently traveled to Haiti to observe the relief efforts. He writes in his blog:
Our photos cannot capture the devastation our Haitian neighbors feel. Fearful of collapsing homes, they sleep in the streets, many with no tents. Thursday it rained. Tents are still badly needed. Even after a month, the home in which we stayed has no electricity; huge lines of people three and four blocks long line up for a bag of rice; dozens of women with five gallon pails on their head stride back to their families with water for the day.
Foster on the ground in Haiti. A one-time reporter, he documents what he saw on his blog. Money raised in Jackson will provide food, tents and clean water.
Friess says he was impressed with several of the aid groups supported by the Haiti Renewal Fund. A devout Christian, he and his wife, Lynne, have pledged a matching grant of up to $2 million.
Despite the devastation, with a city of 35,000 refugees springing up on a golf course, he saw cause for hope:
A heartwarming visit with two U.S. Air Force men who dispatched planes carrying passengers and other cargo showed me how the entire world responded. Nicaraguans brought beans, Cubans brought medical supplies, Iranians flew in mattresses, Venezuela, Brazil, Canada, Spain — Everyone came — putting aside deep differences to bond together in a spirit of selflessness and brotherhood to help those who are hurting so badly.
The success of the Jackson Hole benefit, with ski bums pitching in, no doubt will warm his heart.
