Arbortheater concert to benefit sick children

A Vernon Hills High School senior is using her passion for music to bring joy to sick children.

Jessica Lawdan is hosting a concert Wednesday to benefit the Songs of Love Foundation, a nonprofit organization that writes and produces songs for children hospitalized with chronic or terminal illnesses.

A singer, theater performer and music teacher, Lawdan said she wanted to put on a concert for charity. She came across Songs of Love and thought it offered the most direct outreach to children in need, she said.

"It really was straight and personal for the kids," she said.

Lawdan recruited other Vernon Hills students and alumni to perform in the concert, which will feature about 20 acts. All songs will be from contemporary artists such as Lady Gaga and Ingrid Michaelson, she said.

The concert gives performers like Lawdan the opportunity to show what the Vernon Hills choir program can do besides simply singing, she said.

"We're more than entertainers; we're philanthropists, too," Lawdan said.

Shortly after choosing Songs of Love, Lawdan contacted founder John Beltzer, who had a challenge for her: If she could raise $5,000, he would fly in from New York and bring recording equipment so that people at the concert could create a song for a child in a hospital, Lawdan said.

Because she planned the concert in less than a month, Lawdan does not think she can reach the $5,000 goal, she said. Still, she wants to try again next year.

"I think if we get a good start, we can reach that goal next year," she said.

The concert will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Vernon Hills Memorial Arbortheater, 50 Fairway Drive.

Admission to the concert is free, but Lawdan will be accepting donations for the foundation. Concessions, raffle tickets and $15 T-shirts will be sold. All proceeds will go to Songs of Love.