Hurricane Katrina Benefits

Over the weekend the main topic of discussion was how to help out the people who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Some New Yorkers are organizing events in order to raise money. We expect, and hope, there will be a lot more coming up in the next few months. For now take a look below at some of the upcoming benefits.

Next week some of our favorite comedians take the stage in order to raise money for Hurricane relief. At the Crash Test Hurricane Relief Benefit Aziz Ansari and his pals Demetri Martin, Eugene Mirman, Christian Finnegan, and Andy Blitz will do their thing to help raise money for Mercycorps. The show is on September 12 at 9:30pm. The cost is $10 with all proceeds going to Mercycorps. And you can catch one of the last showings of Aziz Ansari Punched a Wall this Thursday at 9:30 pm. Both of these events take place at UCB Theater [307 W 26th St].

One Hurricane Katrina Benefit Concert is coming up on Saturday September 10th @ Rare [416 W. 14th Street]. With a $10 minimum donation the tentatively scheduled artists include Will Sellenraad, The Switch, Darren Beckett from Ambulance LTD, Mark Stratil, Jonathan J. Johnson, and of course more TBA.
The show is from 8pm to 4am (last band plays at 1am). All proceeds of this concert will be going to The Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Please come and help support a great cause.

Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches is also doing what she can from so far away. She and her friend came up with this idea...

From Kimya's friend Sheila: "last week a bunch of hurricane survivors got transferred to my school. there's so many! i have like one in each of my classes. i was talking to a girl from new orleans in government friday, and i couldn't believe what she was saying. about 5 of her friends have died, and here i was worried about my algebra2 homework. it makes you realize how much you have to be thankful for."

From Kimya: "You hear about the elderly and the sick and the babies. But I hadn't really thought about displaced teenagers. My teenage years were the hardest years of my life and the years where my friends and my possessions meant so so so much to me. so i have an idea... now that so many of us have ipods, who has discmen and walkmen and boomboxes and stereo and cassettes and cds lying around that we don't use anymore? Let's start a music donation program. We all know music heals."

You can currently go to http://www.kimyadawson.com/reliefthroughmusic to help.

Please comment with other benefits going on around the city.