Resilient Youth Foundation to hold benefit concert at Cloister

In 2006, Miller started the Resilient Youth Foundation as a way of honoring and fulfilling the goals of Eddie Lopez, his friend and fellow athlete, who was shot by gang members in the Santa Monica, Calif., area. Miller said that Lopez distinguished himself in their high school, explaining, “Eddie was usually the only Latino in the advanced classes.”

The foundation supports a variety of charitable causes and will host a charity concert on Friday night at Cloister Inn, which donated $2,500 to fund the event. The concert will benefit the Lasource Project, founded by Whitman College janitor Josue Lajeunesse and his brother, which works to bring clean water to his hometown of Lasource, Haiti.

At first, Miller said, he intended the foundation to be a small, local project — but with support from the Santa Monica community, the organization just “grew and grew.”

When Miller came to Princeton, he was unsure how to continue running the foundation. But after working with a Los Angeles-based concert promoter, he was able to organize a benefit concert at Cloister last fall that raised $4,500 in ticket proceeds.

Miller said that with the success of the first concert, he hopes to make the concerts a monthly occurrence that will benefit multiple organizations.

Though he knew he wanted the concert to benefit the people of Haiti, Miller said, he decided to support Lajeunesse’s Lasource project when it was suggested by Lexi Meyer ’11, one of Cloister’s community service chairs. Meyer said in an e-mail that she recommended the organization “because of its close connection to one of Princeton’s own.”

Lajeunesse said that his organization, which was featured in the documentary “The Philosopher Kings,” works to fulfill a fundamental need.

“You need water for everything,” Lajeunesse said. “Water is the key to getting out of any ... situation.”

Though he is currently working on installing cisterns for individual families, Lajeunesse said he also plans to raise money to build a health clinic, a computer center and a school for the village.

Since Lasource became publicly recognized following the documentary’s recent release, Lajeunesse added, the University community has been incredibly supportive.

Dave Letourneau ’11, vice president of Cloister, said that he hopes this event will show the students’ appreciation of what Lajeunesse is doing.

“It’s not about ‘charity,’ ” he said. “It’s about giving back.”