North Carolina school still recovering from massive fire holds benefit concert for Helene victims

CHARLOTTE ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — On Friday, Charlotte Preparatory School, a school still recovering from a mass ive 2023 fire , held a benefit concert for Helene victims.

“We all know someone or have families up in the mountains, and we all can’t drive up to the mountains,” Kristin Olsen with Seventh Street Concerts said.

The Sphinx Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra originally had a concert planned in the mountains. That was before Helene. A last-minute change of venue brought the group to a Charlotte community that unfortunately knows a thing or two about devastation.

“It’s hard to wake up one morning and hear that this huge part of your school has just been reduced to ashes,” Liam Romance said, a student at Charlotte Preparatory School.

Those ashes were what remained of one of Charlotte Prep’s buildings. It went up in flames just after the spring semester ended in 2023.

With the backdrop of a construction site, Romance and other Charlotte Prep students are trying to return the favor and serve others the way they were helped, proving even the smallest of hands can make a mighty difference.

“I have friends out there. And I think a lot of people got hit really hard there because of the storms and people need help and it’s really important that I get the word out,” Romance said.

Collecting hundreds of pounds of diapers, winter clothing, and other donations — all going directly to families impacted by the storm.

“It’s really good to help as many people as [possible],” Romance said.

And as Queen City News observed on Friday, it’s a mission Romance isn’t taking lightly.

“Umm, do you have any donations? We really do appreciate it,” Romance said. “We are going to be distributing this to the YMCA,” another community member said.

These Charlotte students are on their way to rebuilding, but they know Western North Carolina’s situation is a little different. The song though is still the same.

“Everyone who goes through something like this, we know you will be able to recover. You are all strong enough to do this. Everyone can find that strength in them while still remembering this loss,” Romance said.

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