A class project by a group of Sacramento State students may prove to benefit much more than their GPAs when the YWCA hosts the Rock for WIND benefit concert on Saturday.

Proceeds from the concert will benefit WIND Youth Services, an outreach program for homeless youth in Sacramento. Money from food and drink sales will also go to the organization.

Four Sac State students are organizing the event as part of their public relations class. Sue Swanson, Kimberlee Hammel, Cheryl Bolden and Amber Latoof came up with the idea while working on ideas for fundraising with Bob Ekstrum, the organization&s founder.

&I realized how much I like working with bands,& Hammel said. &They all seemed very interested and they thought it was for a really good cause.&

The students worked together to find the bands and secure sponsors, which include Albertsons, Raley&s, Alhambra, Pepsi and Capitol Graphics.

&It&s definitely a great learning experience and we are so glad we could help such a worthy cause in the process,& Swanson said.

&We were willing to help out because we know there&s a lot (the homeless) can&t do for themselves,& said Nathan Prescott, whose band Three Weeks Yesterday will be playing at the event.

Ekstrom created WIND Youth Services in 1994. It provides Sacramento&s homeless teens with basic needs, such as counseling, education, clothing, food and showers.

The organization also runs an overnight shelter in an attempt to limit the amount of teens living in camps and abandoned buildings. It also has a community outreach program that seeks to improve the relationships between homeless youths and the community.

Ekstrom said 71 percent of homeless teens have previously been in institutions, such as group homes or foster care; 79 percent have been sexually molested and 93 percent use drugs or alcohol on a regular basis.

WIND Youth Services accrues considerable expenses as the result of the many services it provides, Hammel said. Money from the concert will benefit all facets of the organization.

The concert begins at 6 p.m. and is open to all ages. It will feature the bands No Avail, In Black September, Butterface, Three Weeks Yesterday and Bonfire, all from the Sacramento and Bay Area. Food and drinks will be sold inside. Additional information about WIND Youth Services is available at www.windyouth.org.

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Andy Laughlin can be reached at

[email protected]