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Virtual DJ performance to raise funds for hospital, food bank

May 1, 2020   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

With so many people staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, a local group is stepping up to help alleviate the boredom by putting together a virtual DJ performance, which will be streamed live on Saturday, May 2.

The event is called Sound Quest Virtual Jamzz and will raise funds to support local causes, as well as supply tablets for people who have no means to use social media to contact friends and family during the crisis.

DJ J Q West, aka Jamie Ferris, will bring a night of music to people who can tune in and dance the night away in their own home.

MC, Dana McGregor, will host the live event.

Organizer, Anthony Fenech, said the idea was inspired by the thought of so many people having to stay indoors at this time and also by the fact that many celebrities have hosted live streaming events as a way of entertaining the public.

“DJ decided that people are lonely and need something to do and he was seeing what was trending with so many celebrities doing concerts,” Mr. Fenech explained. “He said ‘if I get 250 likes, I’ll play my music for Facebook Live for those that want to have a listen and tune in.” He ended up losing track of the viewership at 10,000 views.”

DJ J Q West, is well known both locally and around the region and has DJ’d a lot of different events.

“We have a committee now,” Mr. Fenech said. “We have some influencers who want to make this event grow. We’re raising proceeds to help at a very grass roots level, where we’re helping people to get food and medicine. We also realize that there are people that are isolated and won’t be able to reach out to family members, so we’re also going to provide around a dozen tablets to transition places, retirement homes, and the hospital so people can reach out to their loved ones or just stay busy by playing games.”

He added, “We are encouraging anyone that has some spare change that they throw it towards the cause. We’re all very community based, conscience minded Orangevillians who are very happy to live in this area. We don’t like seeing people hurt. We know the Food Bank supports around 700 families. We want to do our best to contribute. We’re not going to change the world, but we might change it a little bit. We hope to get people off their couches and dancing. It’s a way for people to be able to network and shed a little bit of stress.”

While the event will broadcast from a local location, everyone involved will be practicing social distancing while they are there.

It’s going to be about a three hour set.

Both DJ J Q West and MC McGregor will be localizing the event by wearing jerseys from sports organizations around Orangeville.

“They’ll be wearing jerseys that represent our local sports teams,” Mr. Fenech explained. “They’ll be switching them out to show their love for the community. They’ll have an Outlaws jersey then switch to say, a Tigers, Crushers, or Northmen jersey.”

Thanks to modern technology, the event can track how many people are tuning in to view the event.

You can find out more about the event a view on show night by checking out the Facebook page at Sound Qwest Virtual Jamzz.

The event will get underway on Saturday, May 2, beginning at 9:00 p.m.

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