A Coquitlam church is nearing its fundraising goal for two refugee families it is sponsoring and is hoping a unique concert next month will help it reach its target.
The Feb. 6 Harmony for Hope show will feature the award-winning groups West Coast Harmony Chorus and Gentlemen of Fortune at Evergreen Cultural Centre. They'll be joined by well-known comedian Billy Mitchell, a veteran performer who has appeared across Canada and internationally.
"It's full a cappella, it's very, very entertaining and musically it's just great," said Doug Matthews, who is leading the fundraising and promotions committee for St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Parish's sponsor families.
A 35-member church committee has been working on applications for a family from Iraq and from Syria since January. In bake sales, a golf tournament, pub night and other fundraisers, the church community has so far raised about $42,000, just shy of the $50,000 needed for the two families.
Matthews said the Iraqi family is waiting on travel arrangements and, upon arrival, will be living in a Surrey apartment while the Syrian family has completed interviews and has yet to go through the medical screening process.
"We're very close to the full amount," he said, "and we're hoping to close the gap with the upcoming concert."
Matthews, who worked in the entertainment business, has booked both barbershop-style groups for large corporate clients, both individually and as a large, massed choir, and said it's always a huge crowd pleaser.
"Invariably they got standing ovations, that's the quality of their music," Matthews said. "It's one of the reasons I chose them for this concert, because they've done so well in the past."
Each group uses costumes and movement to add a compelling visual element to their performances, he added.
Matthews first booked comedian Billy Mitchell about 25 years ago to entertain Canadian troops in Cambodia, and later booked him for similar shows in Afghanistan and Bosnia.
• Harmony for Hope is on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam). Tickets are $40 and available at www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
