Lifehouse in benefit concert for young Stanislaus County campers

Camp Jack Hazard backers are hoping a new Spring Fling will lead to an even better summer camp.

The supporters of the wilderness adventure camp for Stanislaus County youths has partnered with local station B93 FM to put on its biggest benefit concert to date. Rockers Lifehouse will headline the B93 Spring Fling Camp Jack Hazard Benefit on April 10 at the Gallo Center for the Arts.

This is the fourth annual benefit for the camp, which is owned and operated by the nonprofit Jack and Buena Foundation based out of Modesto. While past shows have featured Oakdale native and national recording artist Brett Dennen and other popular area acts, this is the show’s highest-profile national headliner to date. Modesto musician Neil Buettner will open for Lifehouse this year.

The Jack and Buena Foundation Executive Director Jason Poisson said joining forces with B93 and its parent company, iHeartMedia, was the next step in the camp’s growth.

Since 2011 the nonprofit foundation has run the camp exclusively, taking over from the now-defunct YMCA of Stanislaus County.

Founded in 1924 by its real-life namesake, the camp has been a getaway for Stanislaus County youths in the High Sierra for more than 90 years.

The concert is the foundation’s largest fundraiser annually, and its proceeds covers the costs of running the camp each summer. The group and iHeartMedia have entered into a three-year partnership to sponsor the benefit.

“This year we decided we wanted to go in another direction. iHeartMedia and local radio stations are really trying to connect with the local listener and local community. And this is one way for them to do that,” Poisson said. “For us, it’s exciting to bring in and market Camp Jack Hazard to an entire audience that may not be familiar with us. Up to now, the concerts have been filled with friends and family of Camp Jack Hazard. This gives us a better way to do outreach. And it’s also just a great way to see big artists come to Modesto.”

Still, for all of its national name recognition, Lifehouse is no stranger to the area. The band, which had major radio hits in the early 2000s with “Hanging by a Moment” and “You and Me,” has performed in the region a few times in the past. In 2003 the group headlined the popular B93 SummerFest show.

iHeartMedia’s Dennis Martinez, who serves as senior vice president of programming for the Modesto/Stockton region, said Lifehouse was the perfect choice to play the new Spring Fling showcase and benefit.

“The band has a long history with B93 and Modesto. In fact, there aren’t many stations in the country that have played Lifehouse more than B93,” Martinez said. “They also have a new song out with a new album coming out (in May), so the timing was perfect for us to bring in an awesome group with a lot of local fans.”

The band’s seventh studio album, “Out of the Wasteland,” will be released May 19. The album’s first single, “Hurricane,” came out earlier this year and is already receiving radio play. Lifehouse lead singer Jason Wade told Billboard Magazine the group’s music should appeal to longtime fans.

“‘Hurricane’ started as a catchy up-tempo pop song and then transformed into this electric, energetic rock song that was very reminiscent of our first album,” he told the magazine. “I feel like it is the backbone of the record, and was the catalyst that brought our band back around full circle.”

Also hoping to come full circle is the camp itself. Through its heyday when more than 500 kids attended each summer to its rebuilding after the YMCA dissolved in 2009, Camp Jack Hazard has served as a refuge and escape for the area’s youths.

When the Jack and Buena Foundation took over, the camp was serving maybe 50 to 60 kids each summer.

Last year the camp sent 246 youths, age 6 to 17, to camp, and this summer they are expecting to send 340 kids.

The camp also hires 45 to 55 young adults, age 18 to 25, to staff the programs each summer.

“We’re seeing amazing growth. We’re proud to provide a summer activity that’s safe, character-based and a whole lot of fun for kids in this community,” Poisson said.

“We’ve also gotten a lot of feedback and contact from the community of people who are so elated to see Camp Jack Hazard continuing on even in face of what happened to the YMCA. In its 91-year history, the camp has meant so much to so many people.”

This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Lifehouse in benefit concert for young Stanislaus County campers."