INDExtra

Kershaw concert to benefit Murphy family

by Leslie Turk

A Sammy Kershaw and Friends benefit concert is scheduled for Tuesday, July 20, to help raise money for Lafayette's Murphy Family. A Sammy Kershaw and Friends benefit concert is scheduled for Tuesday, July 20, to help raise money for Lafayette's Murphy Family. The event takes place at Parc International in downtown Lafayette beginning at 6 p.m.; organizers say the show will go on regardless of weather conditions.

Joining Kershaw are Jamie Bergeron, River Road, Jared Lane and Geno Delafose. Tickets are $35 and are available for purchase beginning Saturday, July 10, at all Acadiana Popeyes, Burgersmith, Pizza Hut, and Coyote Blues locations in Lafayette and Baton Rouge.

Tragedy befell Lafayette's Murphy family on what was to be the trip of a lifetime to the World Cup in South Africa. That tragedy has also devastated the local community, which is now rallying to help offset its medical expenses. Last month 24-year-old Nicole Murphy died while attending the soccer event with her father and three of her siblings. She and two siblings were walking on a pedestrian pathway to their hotel when all three were struck by an allegedly drunk driver. Nicole, who was attending medical school at LSU in New Orleans, died instantly, and her brother Brian (a 2009 STM grad now attending LSU) remains in critical condition in South Africa. He is recovering from a major head trauma and will need at least two more operations to heal broken limbs. Bringing him home requires a specialized medical plane, including a team of trained medical professionals. The medical travel expenses alone will be in excess of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

All of the proceeds raised from the concert will go to the Home Bank Murphy Family Support Fund to offset the medical costs of the Murphy Family. Donations can be made at any location of Home Bank or mailed to P.O. Box 81459, Lafayette, La., 70598. The account number is 2057873802. Make checks payable to "Murphy Family Support Fund." Several locally owned companies, including Popeyes, Theatre League of Louisiana, Pizza Hut, Schilling Distributing, Acadian Ambulance, and Acadiana Bottling have come together to put on the benefit concert.

For more information on the concert, contact Angie Doyle at 337-289-6890 Ext. 2014 or Peggy Kraus at 337-266-2120.