AHS Sings for Hope — an annual fine arts department’s benefit concert for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital — took place Feb. 8 at 7 pm in the Theatre. Twenty-two fine arts students performed classic Disney songs such as The Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World” and The Lorax’s “How Bad Can I Be” to illustrate this year’s concert theme, “A Night in the Magic Kingdom.”
Alumnus Ethan Shavelson, class of 2022, initiated this annual event during the height of COVID-19 in 2020. He was later nominated for the Miami Herald Silver Knight award for organizing this project. During his sophomore year, he noticed that he and his fellow students could bring joy to their community through song and dance and called on current seniors Peyton Barnett and Katie Sheahan to help him arrange a live-streamed benefit concert.
“My friend Ethan originally told me and Katie about this event he wanted to do for a children’s hospital since he had a loved one in the hospital. He asked if we could help him manage it. The three of us brought his vision to life together, initiating a fine arts tradition that has been active for the past four years. Ethan graduated last year, so this year I decided to take matters into my own hands and carry on this wonderful legacy,” Barnett, the production manager of this year’s concert, said.
Barnett and Sheahan, along with their eleven production team members and twenty-two performers, raised $4,281 for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital this year, an improvement of nearly $1,000 from last year’s funds.
“I think the 2023 concert did really well. It ran very smoothly and I’m so proud of the cast and crew. They did an amazing job on both performing and publicizing the event,” Barnett said. “AHS Sings for Hope is so dear to everyone’s hearts, especially considering it benefits such a wonderful cause.”
Established in 1992, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital provides a wide range of healthcare services and initiatives in a child-friendly setting. They provide full-service hospital care, relieving afflictions from rare diseases to trauma-related incidents. World-class doctors, pediatric specialists, nurses, and support staff are on duty 24 hours a day at the hospital.
Deanna Simon, a pediatric ER physician and attendee of this year’s benefit concert, has been part of the Joe DiMaggio staff for seventeen years. “Joe DiMaggio is a fantastic place to be a patient at, but it is also a fantastic place to work,” Simon said. “We remember that it’s not just the child. We are always there for the child, but for their parents and loved ones as well. It’s a very scary situation to be in when your child is sick. We try to make the environment comfortable for them as well. We go that extra mile to make families feel as comfortable in this uncomfortable position as we can.”The AHS Sings for Hope production team has made it their mission to help the staff at Joe DiMaggio continue to provide this quality care to children in need. The AHS Sings for Hope GoFundMe page will remain open for the remainder of the year, allowing the community to donate to Joe DiMaggio well after the curtains have closed.
