Julia Hardy
Arts, Entertainment & Technology Editor
After being forced to postpone because of an impending snowstorm, the Charity Link club was able to host their second annual Coffee House event on Wednesday, Mar. 20 to raise money for Sandy Hook Elementary School. The night was full of coffee, baked goods and a long list of performances to entertain those who came to the event.
Having to reschedule from their original Feb. 13 date posed some problems for the members of Charity Link. “One of the biggest difficulties we had was that the snowstorm hit the night that it was originally supposed to be so we had to cancel,” senior Charity Link member Meghan Callahan said. “Now it’s three weeks later so some of the performers who were originally going to perform couldn’t, and we had to find new performers. Also some of the people who had originally bought tickets could no longer come.”
Despite these setbacks, Coffee House still had a wide range of performances, including a classical piano piece played junior Gita Abhiraman, a dance number to Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” by a group of freshman from the New Canaan Dance Academy’s advanced hip-hop class, an original short story by senior Audrey Piehl, a cello performance by freshman Natalie Piehl, a guitar set by senior Dan Getz and a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” by senior Izzi Schipper.
Dan played “Christmas Time is Here” by The Vince Guaraldi Trio, “Mood For A Day” by Yes and a jazz rendition of “Over the Rainbow” arranged by Lou Volpe and John Gerardi. “Originally [senior Gabrielle Balzano]asked me to play guitar with her but then she ended up getting sick and couldn’t come,” he said. “I decided to play these songs instead because they are mellower so they fit the occasion.”
Ultimately, Coffee House raised $540 for Sandy Hook Elementary School. “It was a little stressful to get it up and running but I think it went really well,” Charity Link co-leader senior Kylie Lyman said. “I think all of the performances were really great and it seems like everyone had a good time.”
The event is held to raise money for a specific charity. Kyle Lyman explained how Sandy Hook Elementary School was chosen to be this year’s recipient of Coffee House’s profits. “We actually were originally going to donate to Hurricane Sandy, but then Student Coalition was planning to raise money for Sandy Hook and invited us collaborate with them so we decided to change our focus.”
Freshman attendant Meredith Luchs said she enjoyed her experience. “I kind of stumbled upon Coffee House because I was leaving debate and saw that there was an event in the Wagner Room so I thought it would be a fun time,” she said. “The performances were beautiful and the food was really good so I’m glad I stopped by.”
