Solo Performance by Marc Roberge of O.A.R. Raises Funds for Charity

More than $4000 was donated to the CT National Guard Foundation following a January 9th charity concert by Marc Roberge, lead singer of the band O.A.R. Students and faculty heard an inspired accoustic performance of the band's top hits ("Shattered" and "This Town") and Roberge also delighted the audience with his engaging stage presence and stories of his own youth. A few lucky Hopkins student musicians were even invited to join Roberge on stage for impromptu jam sessions, most notably to one of the band's early fan-favorite songs "That Was a Crazy Game of Poker."

View photos in our online gallery.

Learn more about Marc Roberge and O.A.R. on their official site and their Wikipedia page (be sure to look for the reference to this charity event).

Student Council President Nathaniel Zelinsky '09 shares background on how this event took shape:

In November, Elizabeth Roberge ’09 approached me about her cousin Marc, from the band O.A.R., playing at Hopkins in some venue. We thought we could have him perform in December and donate all the proceeds to the Food Bank. Because of some scheduling conflicts, we soon realized that the best time for both of us was the 9th of January.

 

From the beginning, we wanted this event to be unique. The opportunity Elizabeth and Marc gave us was one of a kind, and we wanted to capitalize on it in a special way. The best approach soon became clear: broaden the event beyond just our small community of students to include faculty from Hopkins as well as members of other schools. Hamden Hall and Cheshire Academy responded with enthusiasm and their students seemed just as receptive as ours.

 

As these plans were forming, History teacher Gerard Casanova gave a speech on Veteran’s Day in assembly asking for donations to www.anysoldier.com, a group that provides services and supplies to troops overseas. His particular efforts were focused on a local unit stationed in Afghanistan. From that moment, we decided that this cause, where the proceeds from the concert would make a significant impact, was the one we wanted to support. Marc was also receptive to the idea, having just played at a military base in Texas a month ago.

 

Mr. Casanova helped narrow the list of possible charities down to the Connecticut National Guard Foundation, a group which helps Connecticut families who have a parent serving in the military. You can find more information about the organization at their website: www.ctngfoundation.org.

 

The true unsung heroes last night were the Hopkins faculty and staff who made it possible. Without the men of maintenance, we would have been lost adrift. Jim Lawson in particular was there all night and played crucial role in our success.

 

Early on in our planning process, I emailed all the teachers asking for chaperones. I must say that, in my entire career on the student council, I have never had such positive feedback. We had to turn adults away from working and had to instead encourage them to come as guests. I cannot thank the faculty enough for their effort on Friday.

 

Publicizing the concert the week after we came back from break was challenging, but, through emails and some fantastic artwork from Elizabeth, we were able to jump that hurdle.

 

Even after running events for five years, I am still struck by how much of the night the school allows us to directly control. Everywhere you looked, STUCO representative handled minor and major issues and did the necessary legwork to make the concert a success. As always, they and their hard work are a credit to the school.

 

Ultimately, Friday was only possible because of Marc. Without him we could never have had this fantastic show. He was very easy going, and I am so happy he had time to help us help a fantastic cause.