Approximately 100 students in the Rincon Valley Unified School District in Santa Rosa, CA, lost their homes and all their belongings in the recent Nothern California fires. The students can no longer play music because their instruments were damaged or destroyed. Avi Gupta ’19 and Menlo’s musicians, understanding the power music has to bring solace and joy, presented a concert in November to raise funds to help these students purchase beginner-level band instruments. Watch a video clip from the concert here.

“As smoke [from these fires] engulfed our campus, I thought about the kids whose lives were normal until they were entirely and instantly destroyed,” says Avi. “I thought about how they were forced to leave their homes and all their treasured belongings in the middle of the night, and I realized that I wanted to do something to help them recover emotionally.”

“Music, for me, is a way to seek solace,” says Avi. “I can’t help but feel a shared sense of pain with the kids who have lost their access to music-making.”

Avi decided he wanted to make a difference by harnessing the power of music and the generosity of the Menlo community. So he planned this concert, which took place on Monday, Nov. 20, 5:00-6:30 pm in Stent Hall’s Spieker Ballroom, and it featured a stellar lineup of Menlo musicians, including Leo Jergovic ’21, Jonathan (Soda) Hou ’21, Daniel Tan ’21, Alejandro Ross ’19, Walter Li ’19, Kevin Kafayi ’19, Science Teacher Tanya Buxton, and many others.

“The event was a great success,” says Avi. “We raised hundreds of dollars in cash donations and received about eight instrument donations. I am so grateful that our community has already been so supportive of this cause and has helped to give hope to students who really need it right now.”

Avi will be collecting instrument and monetary donations up until winter break. For those who still want to help out, donations can be made here and/or can drop off new or used instruments to Krystal Green in our school library.