Concert For A Cause At St. Joseph the Worker

Local musician Russ Rentler and his son Ben took the stage at St. Joe’s May 14 for a night full of food, fun, and fellowship.

The two-hour event was donation-based, raising $3,300 for relief efforts in Haiti.

“It’s a good thing to help people that are less fortunate. The people of Haiti don’t have access to things we do here, like medicine and doctors,” says Erin Fagan, one of the event’s organizers.

The evening featured 50/50 raffles, silent auctions, snacks, and of course, entertainment.

Rentler and his son stole the spotlight with a combination of live music and comedy.

“He had a lot of verses where you’d start laughing. He did a song about his one-eyed grandma. That was pretty good. People seemed to enjoy that,” said parishioner Paul Davis.

Rentler plays an array of unique instruments from dulcimers to dobros. His musical mish-mash was a big smash with the audience.

“My favorite part was how he played so many different instruments. That was really neat,” says parishioner Kathi Davis.

And all of this fun was for a reason…bringing modern medical care to the disaster-stricken country of Haiti.

Rentler is a practicing physician and has done mission trips to the Caribbean country for decades.

“My life is pretty good. I have everything I’ve ever needed or wanted. The people in Haiti have nothing, and to ignore the poor is to ignore God,” sais Rentler.

Saturday’s event allowed Rentler to share his two passions…helping people, and entertaining them.

“This event had a great energy. People were really excited. And the mission to Haiti is a life-changing one. I got so much out of the experience as a whole,” said Rentler.

For more information on Russ Rentler, his music, and how you can help his missions to Haiti, check out his website, www.russrentler.com.