Texas State public relations seniors (right) and Kiarra Regaldo announce the winners of a donation raffle for the H.O.M.E. Center, Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at The Porch.

On April 5, months of hard work from public relations seniors paid off at “Take Me H.O.M.E.,” a benefit concert at The Porch to fundraise for the Homeless Outreach Mitigation Emergency Center (H.O.M.E.).
As a senior capstone project for their PR campaign class, the idea of a benefit concert was as captivating as getting an internship for these students. Over seven months, the students booked bands, a venue and built relationships with the H.O.M.E. Center co-founders Hannah Durrance and Ken Nesbitt.
Kenlie Golleher, a public relations senior and the rap music director at KTSW, helped reach out to all the bands, organizing acts and securing a place to host the event.
“I read an article in The University Star actually talking about the H.O.M.E. Center and how they were at risk of closing their doors because of lack of revenue for their employees,” Golleher said. “So I pitched the idea to my group, and they all were like ‘yeah, this seems like a really great cause. We could definitely get a concert to raise funds for this.'”
The project seemed daunting because of a lack of funding and inexperience in planning large-scale events. Roles like bookers, guest/band relations and social media promoters were split among the students, each essential in running the show. The H.O.M.E. Center and its need for resources were always their main focuses.
The PR team aimed to fill The Porch with as many people as possible to help fund the H.O.M.E. Center and spotlight local music businesses in San Marcos.
The show packed the house and made a difference in the H.O.M.E. Center’s funding. Sasha Mulisa, a public relations senior who helped with outreach to Hannah Durrance, said their group was the first group of students to follow through with helping the H.O.M.E. Center.
“[Durrance] always told us that we’re like the first group because there’s been many groups at Texas State that have offered to help but they haven’t really had a clear-cut plan,” Mulisa said. “And she told us that we’re like the first group that actually has like acted.”
All the bands on the lineup were active participants in the local live music scene and played the show free of charge. Maddie and The Deadnames, Flight By Nothing, Teal Waves and The 4411 played four hours of live music with a full crowd from start to finish. A raffle was held at the night’s end to gift certificates from local businesses to those who donated money.
Wesley Matthews, a H.O.M.E Center representative, spoke in between sets to talk about the impact that donations had on the center and to express his gratitude.
Along with helping raise funds through the benefit show, the students hosted pop-up thrift shops around campus and The Square with all of the proceeds going toward the H.O.M.E. Center. Self-sourcing the clothes themselves, they collected from friends, family and community donations.
“We’ve gotten a lot of volunteers,” Juliana Sanchez, a public relations senior said. “All these donations are from local businesses on The Square. It really was just asking people like ‘Hey, we want to do this’ and everyone was just so nice.”
The students helped make a serious difference in the H.O.M.E. Center’s funding, identity and community outreach and showed their drive to help local businesses and bring a community together through outreach and communication.
“Instead of mainly focusing on the concert, the bigger picture is getting more people aware of what’s going on in San Marcos and ways that they can get involved,” Golleher said.