Karen Chandler was the namesake of the Karen Chandler Trust. She was also its fi rst beneficiary, a single mother and local musician, struggling to conquer breast cancer. That was in 1999. Unfortunately Chandler succumbed to the cancer shortly after the first benefit, but her family and friends continue to champion this cause in her memory.

Each year the trust holds a benefit to raise money that is used to help cancer patients and their families with the fi nancial burdens that often come with this dreadful and long-term illness.

The Team Daniel Foundation is a much younger organization. It was started in 2008 by John and Denise Mercado after their son Danny died from complications of H.Flu Meningitis, which he contracted as an infant. He was a 24 year survivor of H.Flu Meningitis. The mission of the Team Daniel Foundation is to provide resource information to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

This year, the Karen Chandler Trust and the Team Daniel Foundation are teaming up to bring A Little Help From My Friends Music Festival to Fayetteville, featuring a Beatles Tribute Band, BritishMania. On Saturday, Aug. 21, there will be fun, food and music for two great causes at the J.P. Riddle Stadium.

Local musicians Chris Hurst and Atlantic Groove, will also perform. There will be a Carolina Idol karaoke competition, a car show, kids zone and a pig pickin’.

Paulette Reinhardt is an administrator with the Karen Chandler Trust, and she’s dedicated to helping as many folks as possible.

“We’re really hoping that our line up this year will bring in some nice traffic and that we’ll be able to raise about $30,000 this year,” said Reinhardt. “There is no overhead in our organization. We are completely volunteer run, and we use the funds to assist local cancer patients with everyday expenses while they are going through cancer treatment. We are in a position where we can be a transitional kind of service.”

Since most people live just within their means, according to Reinhardt, a serious illness can send them reeling fi nancially so that they end up having problems dealing with utility bills, rent or mortgage, car payments, auto insurance and the like. 

Team Daniel has a similar mission. They provide resource information to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

“We are very passionate about Team Daniel because their cause is not unlike ours,” said Reinhardt. “We are dealing with people who are battling a disease — they are helping people who have become disabled.

They have the same problems. They still have issues with income because a disabled person requires so much attention and they still have the same kinds of issues that our families are dealing with, so it seemed like a good fit to partner with them.”

So why a music concert? This is all started because of a musical fundraiser done for Chandler before she passed away, so it only seems right for the event to include music.

“We have some local musicians playing,” said Reinhardt. “Chris Hurst is playing as well as the Several Devils Band. They are a country/rock/rock-a-billly group. They have a really unique sound. In addition to these two local groups we have the Atlanta Groove Band coming in from Salisbury, N.C. They do a variety of music that everybody will know and enjoy singing to and dancing to — they are a party band.”

The headliner this year is a band from New Jersey called BritishMania. They are a Beatles tribute band.

“When I say tribute I mean a fullblown tribute,” Reinhardt said. “These folks are going to do two acts to include four costume changes. They are going to start out the show with the Ed Sullivan-era with the Beatles in the black suits and white shirts and go all the way through their last performances together in their hippie-ish attire. It is just going to be a wonderful show, and for $15 I just don’t think you can beat it. To see four outstanding groups it is going to be fabulous.”

Folks seeking the limelight will also have a chance to show off their talent at the Your Voice, Our Choice competition. Reinhardt sees this as a way to highlight some of the local, unknown talent

“There are a lot of folks who go out and do karaoke. I have been sitting in some of these clubs and hearing some of the most wonderful voices and wonderful talent out there,” said Reinhardt. “It left me wondering what these people do for a living. I thought ‘They must be singers!’ and then I found out that no, they are nurses or waitresses or guys who works on power lines, and they have such fantastic voices. There are younger people out there with wonderful voices, too, who don’t have a clue about how to get started so we thought ‘Hmm, let’s high light these voices.”

Some of these folks may have a career ahead of them, and it only seems right to give them a chance to shoot for the stars. Digital Wave Recording has jumped in and for part of the prize package, they are going to record a three song master CD in their studio. The winners will have to provide their own soundtracks as far as the music back up though.

So whether you are looking to entertain or to be entertained, there will be plenty going on at the A Little Help From My Friends Music Festival.

Don’t forget the food, the Kids Zone filled with activities and bounce houses and the car show that will feature classic muscle cars and antique vehicles too. The fun starts at 1 p.m. and lasts until 9 p.m. For tickets or more info., call 487-8755.