Four months after Hurricane Maria devastated much of Puerto Rico, 450,000 people are still without power. Thousands of Americans have stepped up to help. In Charlottesville this weekend, some young philanthropists plan to do their part.
There will be music, courtesy of Richmond’s Ban Caribe, beer from Starr Hill, eats from Whole Foods, but this isn’t any fundraiser. The Party for Puerto Rico was organized by eleven kids from four different schools, among them 11-year-old Maggie Heaphy.
“My mom’s side of the family is from Hawaii and 25 years ago there was a big hurricane that hit," she explains. "Our family is still traumatized by all of that.”
Parents have helped out, but Heaphy says most of the planning was done by middle and high school students.
"We’re going to have some salsa lessons and a calypso band. It’s at the Music Resource Center this Saturday, January 27th at 7 p.m. So year, it’s going to be really fun. There are a lot of raffle prizes and silent auctions, so you should come,” Heaphy says.
Admission is $25, and the proceeds will go to a couple of charities set-up by celebrities to help Puerto Rico recover.