Katrina Benefit
Champps
Jan. 13, 7 p.m.

Hurricane Katrina left thousands of people without jobs in New Orleans, Alabama and Mississippi, and among the hardest hit were bartenders and servers at the many nightspots in the region.

An event at 7 p.m. Friday at Champps, 8711 North River Crossing, will directly benefit the displaced hospitality workers of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region.

The Carl Storie Band will perform at 8:30 p.m. and a grab-for-cash booth will offer people the chance to win prizes such as autographed Colts memorabilia, tickets to Sunday’s playoff game, Captain Morgan merchandise and Champps gift certificates.

All proceeds will go to the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Disaster Relief Fund, a 501(c)3 charity. The funds will allow the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Disaster Relief Fund to assist displaced hospitality workers and help rebuild the region’s hospitality community.

“As bartenders we rely on the generosity of our patrons and the stable nature of our jobs to make a living,” said Kim Alexander, a bartender at the Northside Champps. “I cannot imagine how difficult it would be if all of that security suddenly went away. What our fellow bartenders and hospitality workers in the New Orleans area have gone through this year is really hard to believe. Many of them were left with nothing.”

Trevor Wisdom is the manager of Cafe Adelaide and The Swizzle Stick Bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans and is appreciative of the assistance being offered by Hoosiers.

“The City of New Orleans is really coming back to life. Knowing that there will be a Mardi Gras this year that will bring tourists back to the city is an uplifting sign for many of us working in the bars and restaurants around town,” he said. “There is so much going on to support all of us here in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf Coast region, but there has not been a great deal of support for hospitality workers specifically. I am impressed and flattered with what Captain Morgan and Champps are doing in Indianapolis.”

Also appearing at Friday’s event will be the morning crew from WZPL. For more information, call Champps at 317-574-0333.