After a fire destroyed the Oak Bluffs home of the D’Arcy family, thoughtful Islanders Leslie Hurd and Brie Barstow approached the owners of Nectar’s with a proposal for a community fundraiser to be held at the airport nightclub. Ms. Hurd then learned that Joanne Cassidy had the same idea and was hoping to perform with the Sultans of Swing. Planning for the event snowballed, as a Facebook group called D’Arcy Family Support System Public, which at the time of printing boasts 381 members, spread awareness about both the family’s misfortune and the fundraiser itself.

The event was held at Nectar’s on Nov. 6, beginning at 6 p.m. Mike Benjamin took the stage at 7 p.m. and the Sultans of Swing followed his act with a set that continued on until midnight. Patrick Toomey of Among the Flowers in Edgartown contributed appetizers and entrees, and Naomi Dias and Beth Blankenship organized a live and silent auction. The event raised $13,000 dollars for the D’Arcy’s, bringing them that much closer to a return to normalcy in their lives, and thanks entirely to the generosity of the Island community.