Riverside-Brookfield senior Katie Stanis wanted to make a difference.

The 17 year old knew victims of Hurricane Katrina needed her help, but she didn’t know where to begin. That is until a day in early October when she thought of combining her love of music with her naturally altruistic spirit in the form of a Hurricane Katrina benefit concert.

Last weekend, her idea came to fruition as “Paws for Cause,” was held at Riverside-Brookfield High School, featuring local bands the Sloths, One Chord Short, Phoenix Down and the Sleepers. It was truly an RB affair, with social studies teacher John Fields also moonlighting as the drummer in the Sleepers. Stanis’ concert raised over $1,400, which will be donated to the American Red Cross.

“I wanted to find a way to do something,” Stanis said. “Right after the hurricane happened, I just tried to put myself in the victims’ shoes and I knew I would want someone to help me if I were in that situation. They didn’t have anything, they were homeless and I felt terrible for the victims, so I wanted to do something.”

Stanis’ idea had simple origins. She had been toying with the thought of hosting a battle of the bands for a few months, simply to give her favorite local bands some more exposure. But after Katrina, she decided to combine her concert idea with her need to help the victims of the hurricane and “Paws for the Cause” was born. After deciding she wanted to hold the concert at RB, Stanis’ first task was to pitch her idea to RB Superintendent Jack Baldermann, who thought it was a good idea from the start.

“It was immediately apparent that this would be great for RB,” Baldermann said. “It was a fun positive evening, and Katie’s dedication was outstanding. We have had battle of the bands in the past, so this was a really neat twist. Katie really handled everything very well. I think she did a wonderful job.”

After the Baldermann’s approval, Stanis then had to work out the logistics of the concert, which she found out was the most difficult aspect of the event. She also met with RB audio/visual teacher Mary Todhunter to create full-color posters that Stanis had designed. The response from her RB peers was immediate and positive, which was worth any headaches Stanis experienced along the way.

“The concert was so much better than I expected,” she said. “We sold nearly 200 tickets and we got really great feedback. Everyone told us we they had a great time. I have to say that this whole process was very hectic, but it was well worth it. The fact that we put this together and that it is benefiting something greater really made me feel good and I think everyone at RB felt good about the concert for that reason too.”

Now, Stanis is setting her sites on attending Columbia College next fall where she plans to study photography. So, is this the first and last benefit concert she plans? She doesn’t think so.

“This was such as success, that our assistant principal Mr. [John] Passarella suggested we do something in the spring as well,” she said. “This has been quite a challenge but it was definitely a labor of love. I hope we do more concerts in the future and even after I graduate, if RB needs me to help out with planning concerts I would do that. It is just something I love to do.”