Halifax concert raises $270K for Haiti
Source: CBC News
Posted: 02/09/10 9:15AM
Filed Under: Canada
The cast of Drum! performs before an estimated crowd of 7,000 in Halifax on Monday.
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Thousands of people packed the Halifax Metro Centre Monday night to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the people of earthquake-devastated Haiti.
The Halifax for Haiti concert brought together a star-studded East Coast ensemble including Matt Minglewood, Drum! and Classified to help the Canadian Red Cross's relief work in the Caribbean country.
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti on Jan. 12, leaving an estimated 200,000 people dead and much of the country's infrastructure in ruins.
Gavin Giles of the Canadian Red Cross said he was "honoured to be sharing this building with these fabulous and generous artists."
The Red Cross hoped to raise $100,000, with all money going directly to help Haitians obtain clean drinking water, food and medical care.
The Red Cross was presented with a cheque for $135,000 at the end of the event.
Peter MacKay, MP for Central Nova and minister of defence, announced that the Canadian government would match funds raised dollar-for-dollar, taking the donations to $270,000.
"Haiti was hit hard and needs our help. The schools, the hospitals, the residences were destroyed as a result of the earthquake," he said. "This city, this province and Canada have stepped up."
Tickets for the event cost $20. Red Cross staff also gathered cash donations from the crowd of about 7,000.
Trailer Park Boys help out
Even the stars of the Trailer Park Boys joined in with an on-stage hotdog sale to gather a bagful of money.
Halifax musician Joel Plaskett closed the show by bringing out the entire group of performers to sing his song Love This Town.
"It's a great opportunity to be able to come and help, and so I was honoured to be asked and share the stage with everybody who's here, lending their time and support, and it sure is a worthy cause," he told CBC after the concert. "So yeah, I'm really glad to be a part of it."
Canadians have so far donated more than $100 million to the relief effort.
The Metro Centre was provided free of charge Monday night, as was the time of staff and entertainers. The event was organized by Brookes Diamond Productions.
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