Concert to benefit Mexican children

The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Sisters is sponsoring a benefit concert performance by Oregon singer and songwriter Lindy Gravelle on Thursday, October 7. The benefit is for the Every Dollar Feeds Kids (EDFK) charity and focuses on a ministry to hungry children in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Gravelle brings her popular country-rooted music, with its unique blend of pop, rock, swing and blues. The concert is completely free. Since the costs of the event have already been covered, 100 percent of donations will go directly to the EDFK program.

For the benefit, Gravelle plans to perform mostly her own original songs. Gravelle is pleased to be playing a central role in the benefit.

"I'm honored to be a part of this EDFK fundraiser, knowing that all the money raised will help feed innocent children in Cuernavaca, Mexico," she said. "I love all kids and this is a way for me to 'give back' to some who need it so badly."

She's also obviously looking forward to next week's concert.

"I'm hoping we'll have a big turnout, and I promise that the evening will be fun and upbeat; and those who come will feel rewarded in their hearts for having been there!"

Gravelle's personal history of musical performance began here in Oregon when she was just three years old, and she was singing and playing piano in a band when she was eight. By the time she was in high school, Gravelle was writing and recording her own music.

Her music career took her to San Francisco and, eventually, to Nashville, where she spent 15 years actively involved in the industry. In the end, though, Central Oregon was where she really wanted to be, and she returned to the state in 2000. She still writes and records her own music, and she performs at venues throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Randy King, who organized the upcoming benefit and is chairman of the church's EDFK committee, is the one who contacted Gravelle about the possibility of taking part in the event.

"We were thrilled," King said, "that Lindy Gravelle not only agreed to perform at the benefit, but that she has donated a huge percentage of her regular fee because she really believes in what we are doing."

The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration has partnered with the First Congregational Church of San Rafael, California, in developing the EDFK program. The church also supports local programs such as the Kiwanis Food Bank and the Family Advocacy Network, but EDFK is their one big outreach that goes beyond the local community.

Many of the local church members have traveled to Cuernavaca to see the ministry in action and meet the children they are helping to feed. Those who have made the trip to Cuernevaca have been deeply moved, and King is one of those.

"I was prepared ahead of time to see the poverty, the living conditions and the hunger," King said. "What I wasn't prepared for was seeing people who had nothing and yet had everything - their smiles, sense of community, family and faith. I was so moved."

Prior to the concert on October 7, church members will serve hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 p.m.; the performance will begin at 7 p.m. in the church's community hall.

The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration is located on the west side of Sisters at 68825 Brooks Camp Rd. The performance is free; donors may make checks out to the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration and put "EDFK" in the memo line.