A local non-profit, religious organization and a church are sponsoring a benefit concert for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, including two former Cooperstown residents.

The Cooperstown Ecumenical Youth Group (CEYG) and the Cooperstown United Methodist Church are bringing the Christian rock band Cornerstone to Cornfield Hall Saturday, Sept. 24 in an effort to raise money to aid people affected by the Category 4 hurricane that pounded the Gulf Coast area and forced thousands of people out of their homes.

Two of the people affected by the storm were Ian and Amanda Smithson, former residents of Cooperstown and the first youth directors of CEYG.

"We're happy and healthy and that's the bottom line," said Ian Smithson Tuesday evening from his father-in-law's apartment in Tampa, Fl.

The Smithsons, both 27-years-old, first came to Cooperstown in 2000, and were the original youth directors of CEYG, which was founded in September of 1999. They left in 2003 and moved around for a bit until settling in New Orleans in June 2005, where Ian was scheduled to begin studying to become a physician at Tulane University.

"They were just really popular people in the community and would do anything for anybody," said Julie Tirrell, a CEYG board member and friend of the Smithsons. She said the organization "lucked out" in getting them as the first youth directors. "It was like a godsend. Two people working 80 hours a week and everybody loved them."

Tirrell said the Smithsons kept in touch with many of the people in Cooperstown they came to know and even visited during the summer to see some of their former youth group kids graduate from high school.

"They are really great, wonderful people," she said.

Amanda said they first evacuated the Sunday before the storm hit. She said the mayor of New Orleans had given the voluntary evacuation order on Saturday, but roads were congested with traffic for most of the day. Instead of heading out into the gridlock, they waited until 2 a.m. Sunday morning to leave and were able to head to Starkville, Miss. where an aunt and uncle lived.

Less than a day after arriving there, however, the electricity went out.

"Unfortunately Katrina kind of followed us that way," Amanda said. She said after realizing power wasn't coming back anytime soon, they then chose to drive to Tampa, Fl., where Amanda's father lives.

She said before leaving New Orleans, they were able to pack up two suitcases of clothing, a cardboard box full of pictures and photo albums "including the one of the youth group in Cooperstown," she added, important paperwork like their passport, insurance information and marriage certificate, and their dog, a 5-year-old Siberian Husky, along with some miscellaneous other items.

Although their home was in the Uptown Carrollton area of New Orleans, an area which was flooded with between three and eight feet of water, the Smithsons said they are extremely lucky compared to many of the people affected by the storm.

"We were fortunate enough to have both flood and renter's insurance," Amanda said. "That helps a lot in seeing the bright side of things." She said many people in the area are poor and probably did not have that kind of protection. "There are so many that are so worse off. It's heartbreaking," she said.

The Smithsons were renting the first floor of a house in New Orleans and said they prepared the house as best they could before leaving, but have not been able to get back to the house to see the extent of the damage. In any case, Ian wasn't too concerned about most of the material items.

"We're young, we have a whole lifetime to accumulate junk anyway," he said.

Ian said that although the experience has been interesting, if nothing else, he's ready to get their lives back on track.

"I'm ready to go home," he said. He was originally scheduled to head to Houston, Texas this Saturday where his university classes had been moved to, but that the latest threat, Hurricane Rita, had pushed that time back indefinitely.

While Ian is in Houston, Amanda, who works for United Way, said she would work with United Way in Houston until she could return to her job in New Orleans once they reopened. Tulane University is scheduled to resume normal operations on campus in time for the spring semester.

"We'll definitely return," she said about moving back into New Orleans.

Ian said the storm did put some things in perspective.

"Nothing in life is absolute," he said. "We can have all the plans in the world and in the blink of an eye, those plans can be changed. We're grateful for our faith in God, he is our one absolute."

In addition to the concert, current CEYG director Dianne Vadney said the event will feature lawn games and food.

"It'll just be a time for people to hang out and have fun," she said. At least part of the money will be going directly to the Smithsons, said Tirrell.

"We thought, 'Why not send it to somebody we know?'" she said.

CEYG is sponsored by three Cooperstown churches, the Christ Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church and St. Mary's Catholic Church that provides social and developmental opportunities for youth in grades six through twelve.

Cornfield Hall is located at 655 County Rt. 26, between Fly Creek and Toddsville. Admission is $4 for individuals, $10 for families. The event lasts from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. rain or shine. Concessions will be sold and additional donations can be made. For more information, call Vadney at 544-1502 or visit www.ceyg.org.