Switchfoot and Brad Corrigan of Dispatch To Perform At Santa Barbara’s Granada Theatre For Kids Helping Kids Charity
The non-profit organization Kids Helping Kids is proud to present Switchfoot at their January 12 th
benefit concert at the Granada. Brad Corrigan of the band Dispatch will open for the event, following
performances by San Marcos students and Royals Got Talent Winners Jason Hahs and Emily Libera.
Founded in 2002 by the AP Economics class of San Marcos High School, Kids Helping Kids has
been raising money for worthy causes for over a decade, and has recently become an official 501(c)
3 organization. The non-profit fundraises in a variety of ways, including a San Marcos student talent
competition (the aforementioned Royals Got Talent) in which the winners of the contest get to open
for the headlining artist. For more information on Kids Helping Kids, visit www.kidshelpingkidssb.org.
However, KHK’s signature gala and fundraiser for the past few years has been a benefit concert hosted
at the Granada, featuring such past headlining artists as Toad the Wet Sprocket, Five for Fighting, Matt
Kearney, and Sara Bareilles. This year, Kids Helping Kids is privileged to work with Switchfoot as their
headliner. Tickets are available at www.granadasb.org or at the Granada Box Office.
This year’s benefit concert will put to work every one of Kids Helping Kids’ 106 members to keep
all of its components running smoothly. Prior to the January 12th event, KHK will host a VIP dinner at the
Arts and Letters Café, located on East Anapumu Street, as a thank you to companies contributing $5,000
or more to the organization. At 6:00 PM, the Granada will open its doors to concert attendees and VIPs
will be escorted to the red carpet opening in a variety of provided vintage cars. The concert will begin
at 7:00 PM. The event will feature both a silent auction of baskets containing items donated by local
businesses, as well as a live auction occurring immediately before Switchfoot’s performance. The raffle
drawing for the Phantom X2 Electric Bicycle will take place at the show as well.
Proceeds from the event are allocated by the members of Kids Helping Kids, AKA the students
in Advanced Placement Economics at San Marcos High School, and go to charities both at home and
abroad. KHK donates a large portion of its funds to the Unity Shoppe each year, to help local low income
families attain financial independence. Additionally, opener Brad Corrigan has brought KHK’s attention
to an organization he founded known as Love Light and Melody. Love Light and Melody is dedicated
to fighting social injustice and poverty in Managua, Nicaragua, and is now under consideration as one
of the charities KHK will donate to. Kids Helping Kids is also considering giving a portion of its funds to
Bridges of Hope, an organization based in South Africa dedicated to taking children out of conditions of
poverty and enrolling them in Bridges Academy, a boarding school with a 100% graduation rate. Final
decisions on charity donations will be made following the concert.
While the Kids Helping Kids benefit concert is the culmination of months of hard work by the
San Marcos AP Economics class and thus gratifying in itself, the real joy is said to be in giving back, as
CEO Jordan Lund explains, “We’re really excited for our concert this year and using it as a means to raise
money to benefit the lives of others. It’s great to look beyond our personal problems and be able to
devote our time and energy into helping those in need.”
