Concert worth more than 2 bits will only be a quarter

Eric Leake

Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004 | 12:10 p.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

November 13 - 14, 2004

A quarter generally won't buy much these days -- not even a phone call.

But on Nov. 20 a quarter will buy an afternoon of entertainment and some relief for abused children.

The people behind Quarters for Kids hope to raise $250,000 -- one million quarters -- for abused children with a virtually free concert and fair.

"The idea of quarters is the idea that everybody can help, and it all comes together to help kids," said Brandon Brown, event coordinator and co-founder.

Admission to the concert at the Cox Pavilion is a minimum 25-cent donation. Those who want to donate more certainly may. The concert will feature a dozen acts on two stages. Performers include Franky Perez, The Scintas and The Platters.

The first act starts at 1 p.m., and the last ends at 5 p.m.

This is the inaugural year for Quarters for Kids, which organizers plan to make an annual event.

Brown said the idea to organize a charity event came to him and his Xtreme Distributing business partner, Eric Danley, over Mexican fast food last summer.

"We sat down and we said, what do we need for this to happen? We were at Del Taco. All of our major business decisions are made at Del Taco," Brown said.

He and Danley had little experience in organizing charity events, but started making calls to sponsors and groups such as Safe Nest. Brown said people were happy and eager to help from the start.

Shelly McCarty, outreach coordinator for Safe Nest, remembers when Brown approached her with the idea. She'd never met him before. Once hearing the idea, she used her contacts from past events and as an entertainer to solicit talent.

"Once people got word in Vegas of what we were trying to do, that Safe Nest would benefit, that kids were our focus, everything was wonderful," McCarty said.

McCarty hosts the "Laughs at the Beach" comedy show at The Beach and will manage the mike at Quarters for Kids.

Lu Ann Wall of the GrandeXpressions public relations firm rounded out the Quarter for Kids organizational team.

McCarty said the quarter admission is priced to include the entire community.

"It means that there's no one who can't come. Everyone can find a quarter," she said.

"It'll be a lot of fun, a lot of entertainment, a lot of music. People won't be disappointed. It's the best way to spend a quarter," McCarty said. "Literally, they can change a child's life by participating. And that's the best thing of all."

All proceeds from the event, including corporate gifts and the door take, will go to Safe Nest, Olive Crest and other organizations that help abused children.

There will also be informational booths, what Brown plans as "a one-stop shop on how to get out of a bad situation or improve a situation before it gets bad."

An event to entertain, benefit and promote awareness about abused children and domestic violence is exactly what Brown and his partner had envisioned at Del Taco.

"Both of us come from backgrounds where we're emotionally attached to kids that need help," Brown said. "We both just saw a big desire and a big need, especially in Las Vegas."

Brown said he grew up in a foster home in Rigby, Idaho, where, at one time or another, 100 children spent part of their childhood.

"It was just a home full of love and kindness and equality. Everybody was a child. Everybody was wanted," Brown said. "That's how I grew up, and that's what I was taught. Some kids are forced to grow up too fast."

Brown spoke of the open-heartedness of his mother and that of the volunteers helping with Quarters for Kids.

He told a story of a Christmas lesson when he was a child. A family's house had burned down. His mother told him to choose his favorite toy, he said, and took him to give that toy to the family that had lost everything. That, Brown said, is when he learned of the power of even quarter-sized acts.

"Just a small act of kindness can affect so many people," he said.

More information on Quarters for Kids is available at quartersforkids.info