As Christmas quickly approaches, two longtime friends and area Catholics have been putting the finishing touches on their latest benefit concert to support a Camden nonprofit.
Mark Oberstaedt – a member of Holy Eucharist Parish, Cherry Hill – and Henry Gosik – a member of the Catholic Community of Christ our Light Parish, Cherry Hill – organized a Raising Dignity Cabaret, which was hosted at The Marian House, Cherry Hill, in 2019. That event raised $5,000, and the pair organized a second successful event last month and are hosting a family-friendly Big Band event with more than 20 musicians Dec. 27.
“We were having lunch one day and started to talk about how we could combine our experience and skills, and we decided to center our project around music, which we both love,” Oberstaedt says. “Henry had a history of working with Joseph’s House, and when he told me about their work, it was a natural fit.”
Joseph’s House, the beneficiary of each of their events, is a Camden-based nonprofit that grew from a desire on the part of members of Saint Joseph Pro-Cathedral to help the homeless in the city. The nonprofit was officially established in 2010, and has grown from a small café to a large shelter that operates year-round, can accommodate 75 to 80 guests each night for emergency shelter, an includes case management and support to help guests transition into permanent housing.
That nonprofit will also benefit from the duo’s next concert, the Big Band Holiday Extravaganza, which will be held at the Marian House (507 Kings Highway South). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show will start around 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students, and can be purchased online at www.dignitycabaret.com or reserved at moberstaedt@archerlaw.com.
“We are really excited to bring this event to Cherry Hill because we don’t often to get to hear live Big Band music in the suburbs,” says Oberstaedt. “Patrick Tice Carroll is a wonderful music director and the show will feature his Work in Progress Orchestra, which is a traditional Big Band with more than 20 instrumentalists, including brass and strings, and some of the area’s top vocalists. It is family-friendly event for all ages with holiday classics that everyone will know.”
For the two men, organizing these events is well worth the effort because of the cause they support.
“Joseph’s House brings people in, often when they are at their low point, and not only helps them with their immediate needs, but also helps them find long-term solutions,” says Oberstaedt.
Gosik adds, “As we lay our heads in our pillows at night, in a place very close by [people] are struggling to find a warm place to survive. This is why we created a way to enjoy some nights of good entertainment while simultaneously giving an opportunity to help save a life.”
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