Iowa MOST Benefit Concert is back

West High students put together a benefit concert on April 4 to raise money for the Iowa Miles of Smiles Team, a coalition of doctors that perform cleft lip surgery in Guatemala.

Himani+Laroia+23+and+Kaitlyn+Schmidt-Rundell+23+sing+In+My+Life+by+The+Beatles.

Wesal Haroun

Himani Laroia ’23 and Kaitlyn Schmidt-Rundell ’23 sing In My Life by The Beatles.

The evening of April 4th; donors, supporters, performers, and volunteers all gathered at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts to raise money for the Iowa MOST. West High’s Krisha Kapoor ‘23 orchestrated the event alongside Deb Dunkhase from the Iowa MOST team. 

Iowa MOST (Miles of Smiles Team) works through the district 6000 Rotary. Rotary is a coalition made up of 1.4 million people globally. The main goal of the organization is to come together to make lasting changes throughout the communities all over the world. 

Iowa MOST teams up with other Rotarians (people participating in Rotary) and together their mission is to provide free cleft lip surgery to people in need. Their work is mainly focused on the city of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. 

The concert’s lead organizer was Krisha Kapoor ’23. Himani Laroia ’23, Zoe Scott ’23, Helena Wa Kalala ’23, Mohana Sunkara ’23, Eva Jordan ’23 and Zoe Smith ’24 were organizers as well.

“It’s amazing to see how much heart and effort the team puts into the mission,” Kapoor said. “[The Iowa MOST team] changes so many lives, and I’m grateful that West can be a small part of it.”

The concert showcased West’s Jazz Ensemble, stand-up poetry and more. Additionally, the lobby included a silent auction filled with goods from Guatemala, information about past MOST missions and baked goods donated by local businesses such as Molly’s cupcakes, Cookies and Dreams, and HyVee.

The concert raised nearly $10,000. All the proceeds directly fund the Iowa MOST team.