Lifting Our Spirits at Kids Helping Kids Benefit

It was an uplifting night of philanthropy and music at the Arlington Theatre on Friday at the Kids Helping Kids Gala Fundraiser. From the first moments of aerialists performing alongside young students to the high-spirited performances of singer-pianist Brendan James, husband-wife duo Johnnyswim, and the headlining Grammy winners Switchfoot, the mood throughout the event was excited, uplifting, and optimistic. 

“It’s already a win that you’re here, and all of the money that we raised for such a good thing,” said James as he began his short, impactful set. 

That “good thing” is the global nonprofit Set Beautiful Free, an organization based in Southeast Asia that works to help victims of sex trafficking by rehabilitating and empowering them with sustainable opportunities through education and vocational training. Two of the young women (Dawn and Monica) helped by Set Beautiful Free were part of the opening set piece and then later came on stage with Master of Ceremonies Ava Wagner (a junior at Providence High School, which took leadership of the event this year along with volunteers from San Marcos and Dos Pueblos high schools) for the one donation solicitation of the night. 

But before that we had music, fun, heartfelt music. Despite a few technical glitches during the Johnnyswim set, the good-spirited charm of these longtime Kids Helping Kids supporters won the crowd over early, and most of the group was on its feet the whole time. Abner Ramirez offered a toast to the audience — “This is the only moment we know we have” — before launching into a beautifully romantic tune, “Take the World.”

Kids Helping Kids CEO Madison Schock, a senior at Providence, presented a special “Investment in People” award to “Pastor G” Gerald Torres. “I am really humbled and blessed beyond belief to serve this beautiful community,” he said as he accepted. 

A short video about the work of Kids Helping Kids ran and then it was time for Switchfoot, who are also longtime supporters of the organization. “This is one of my favorite things we’ve ever done as a band. I love Kids Helping Kids,” declared lead singer Jon Foreman. “We did our first Kids Helping Kids show back in 2013,” he said. “That’s the year I was born,” yelled an audience member, who Foreman promptly invited to join them on stage. 

Among the band’s highlights were “Dare You to Move,” “Where the Light Shines Through,” and “I Won’t Let You Go.” At this point, there were several audience members (mostly kids) up on stage and rocking out with the band, who also brought up a woman named Kelly, who was celebrating her 40th birthday and wanted to play Cowbell (they gave her a tambourine instead). They ended the show with the heartfelt “Meant to Live” — and as intended, we left the night feeling a little bit better than the way we came in.

For more information, see kidshelpingkidssb.org.