Stromberg sings for homeless awareness

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 29, 2018

“The Way Up” benefit concert

A performance by Wesley Stromberg with Tomi Jo Wilson opening to raise awareness for the “Just Say Yes” campaign

When: 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 3,

Where: Olympic Theatre Arts Gathering Hall, 414 N. Sequim Ave.

Tickets: $15 online at https://Wesley_TheWayUp.eventbrite.com or at the door

Wesley Stromberg brings part of his national tour, “The Way Up,” to Sequim with a concert that is raising awareness for the homeless in Clallam County.

Stromberg stops in his hometown between his Chicago and Los Angeles shows to perform a pop-up concert at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 3, at Olympic Theatre Arts’ Gathering Hall, 414 N. Sequim Ave., with local talent Tomi Jo Wilson opening the show.

The concert will raise awareness for Serenity House’s “Just Say Yes” campaign that asks area residents to donate $10 or more to raise $10,000 by November to support Serenity House of Clallam County’s ongoing programs.

Laraine Claire, a Serenity House board member and Stromberg’s mother, said this concert is the kickoff event for the campaign and hopes more community members start the conversation about the homeless crisis in Clallam County.

When she asked her son if he could help raise awareness for the campaign with a concert, she said he jumped in.

“It’s a hand up not a hand out,” Claire said. “The point of this concert is to raise awareness.”

“We need to all be a part of the solution,” Stromberg said in a press release. “These folks are our neighbors.”

After Serenity House closed one of its Shelters in Port Angeles in June, Claire said she started talking to more homeless individuals in the community and Serenity House’s board members started brainstorming ways to raise awareness and support the homeless.

“I personally started seeing more and more homeless folks on the street,” Claire said. “There’s so many different reasons why people find themselves in (a homeless) situation.”

Claire said a donation will be made to the campaign from part of the concert proceeds.

“If we all do a little bit we can help our neighbors with, as Wesley says, ‘A Way Up,’” said Sally Franz, Serenity House board chair and one of the organizers of the campaign.

Franz will be tabling at the concert where attendees and community members can make donations to Serenity House’s campaign.

Tickets can be purchased for $15 online at https://Wesley_TheWayUp.eventbrite.com and donations to Serenity House also can be made online at www.serenityhouseclallam.org.

For more information, contact Laraine Claire at laraineclaire@icloud.com.