10 bands are coming together to perform in a free music festival at Andrews Park Saturday in support of Sisu Youth Services, a youth crisis center.
The inaugural Music4Hope, hosted by Deep Peach Productions, is an event with vendors, local artists, food trucks and performances, with all proceeds donated to the charity.
Sisu Youth Services is a low-barrier and identity-affirming organization supporting troubled youth in the Oklahoma City area, offering a drop-in resource center and an overnight shelter.
Shaun Zokaie, a Deep Peach Productions event organizer, said this charity was chosen because of its cause.
“I think the fact that they specialize in youth in crisis, in providing a safe place for kids that are basically out on the street because of their situations, that’s very appealing to me,” Zokaie said. “That seems as good of a cause as any.”
This cause resonates with Zokaie because of his own past experiences.
“I had a pretty rough upbringing myself, not specific to necessarily what this charity deals with, but that definitely is a cause that I empathize with quite a lot,” Zokaie said.
Zokaie said finding bands to volunteer their time and performance wasn’t difficult, as multiple groups immediately agreed to help out.
“We said, ‘Hey, you know, we’d like to do a benefit concert. We’re not really sure who the charity will be yet, but we’d like to have some bands participate. Are you guys interested?’” Zokaie said. “There were lots of them that signed on pretty much immediately.”
The other musicians performing include Carter Wright, Corbin Owens, Mike Miller, Third Kind, Ellis Dean, Apex Convey, Moonrock Banditz and Quantum Souljahs.
Bambi Harper, Sisu Youth Services volunteer coordinator, said the organization’s goal is always to work toward ending youth homelessness, while allowing the youth it supports to set their own life goals.
“Long-term goal, of course, is to just end youth homelessness. We want there to be a shelter for an emergency basis, but that to be super temporary and for somebody to come to Sisu and immediately be able to get connected into housing,” Harper said. “Then I think immediate goals with the youth, we kind of let them tell us.”
Sisu Youth Services connected with Music4Hope through performers who previously volunteered for the organization and supported its cause. Harper said the organization was excited when asked to be the concert beneficiary.
“We were stoked because we haven’t gotten to really branch out too much into Norman,” Harper said. “A lot of our support comes from central Oklahoma City, so we’re excited to get more of a face in Norman and let people out there know as well that we’re around.”
The exposure Music4Hope will provide puts Sisu Youth Services on the radar for college students and members of the art community in Norman, which Harper said will expand Sisu Youth Services’ support base.
“I think it’s gonna put our name into a new area and maybe a new kind of demographic, maybe some younger folks, some musicians who could usually be kind of the front runners for change and that kind of thing,” Harper said. “We’re really excited, and I think people the youth’s age can really resonate with Sisu.”
Harper hopes the event grows Sisu Youth Services’s reach, so those in need in the Norman area can utilize its resources.
“Above all else, making sure people that need the resource know that it’s there,” Harper said. “Maybe people in Norman don’t even know, ‘oh, if I’m ever in that situation, I’m able to get to the city and find them.’”
Deep Peach Productions hopes to make Music4Hope an annual event to continue supporting the metro.
“Hopefully we’ll have more charities to work with moving forward, maybe even Sisu again if they’d like,” Zokaie said. “Like I said, it’d be nice to keep this going.”
This summer, Deep Peach Productions hosted its first music festival, Norman Summer Jamz, which, like Music4Hope, was entirely self-funded.
“These things just continue to get more and more expensive as we go, even with the artists donating their time for free,” Zokaie said. “The logistics of putting this on continue to kind of grow.”
Zokaie said all he can hope is that it is an enjoyable event with lots of community involvement.
“We hope (Sisu) receives some donations, and it’s worth their time for having to come out,” Zokaie said. “Hopeful that it’s a great concert, that people are talking about it, that we have a great turnout.”
Music4Hope is a free event beginning at noon Oct. 17 at Andrews Park. Donations to Sisu Youth Services can be made online and at the festival.
This story was edited by Madisson Cameron. Brooks Davis, Parker Newman, Tori Pham and Larkin Bock copy edited this story.
