Where can you spend only Deacon Dollars ( cash), hear five a capella groups and help four service trips? At 8 p.m. Oct. 24 in Wait Chapel, when the Volunteer Service Corp presents its annual Benefit Concert. The concert supports the VSC's service trips to India, Mexico City, Honduras and Vietnam.

Sally Sue Brown, assistant director of student development and director of volunteer services, explained the importance of the concert to the service projects. "The concert started as a fundraiser for the City of Joy trip to Calcutta, India, and has been happening at Wake Forest for nine years," Brown said. "It has since developed into a benefit for multiple winter service trips including HOPE, which travels to Honduras, Casa de Caridad to Mexico City, Mexico, and the Vietnam trip."

The concert is an important fundraiser for the students involved because they fund the trips themselves. Costs range from ,100 to ,500 per student. According to Brown, "The money raised at the concert helps to make the trips possible because flying and traveling is very expensive, but more than that the volunteers want the campus community to know about their efforts so they can get involved."

The concert, which will showcase five university a capella groups and two high school groups, is an important way for the VSC to show the community just what their efforts have accomplished and what the students have gained from the experiences. One Accord, the Demon Divas, Innuendo, Chi Rho and Temporary Reprieve are all donating their time and musical talent to make the concert a success.

Sophomore Lauren Russell of One Accord, a women's Christian vocal ensemble, looks forward to the City of Joy concert. "It not only supports a wonderful ministry, but it gives all of the various a cappella groups on campus the rare opportunity to perform together."

Innuendo, the only co-ed a cappella group on campus, also lends its support to the VSC's efforts. Senior Lauren Secatore, president of Innuendo, says the group "has been honored to sing at the City of Joy Benefit concert for the past two years. This year we're especially proud to be able to lend support to two of our own members who will be going on service trips." Those members are senior Andy Rigsby, who will travel to Calcutta with City of Hope, and junior Will Perry, who will join the Casa de Caridad project to Mexico City.

Sophomore Innuendo member Will Moseley adds that singing in the concert has "become kind of a tradition" for the group. With two members directly involved, "We wanted them to know we support them, and are behind their efforts," said Moseley.

VSC Networking Chair Abby Bowman, a senior involved in organizing the trips, first went to the benefit concert her sophomore year. "It is a great way for the campus to learn about the trips," Bowman said. She explained that the concert, originally a benefit for the City of Joy program, has branched out to include the other three.

The Mexico City project was added to the program last year when, due to turmoil in the region, the India trip was no longer safe. "There was a great need there (Mexico City) so we wanted to go back again," Bowman explained.

The trip to Vietnam is also new. The trips are "a great plunge activity for people who don't have time to be involved in volunteer projects throughout the year," Bowman said. "It's a good way to ... focus on one activity because it will open your eyes to new things."

Because the a cappella groups are all performing free of charge, the four service groups get 100 percent of the concert profits.

In addition to music, the evening will feature a display of photos from past trips in the Chapel lobby and former participants will share their experiences. Tickets will be available at the door.