A group of Harrells Christian Academy students are using their talents to help a fellow classmate in a time of great need.

“Our new director of music asked us what we should be doing with the band and I thought of reaching out. Then Dillon came to my mind and I wanted to reach out and help him,” commented HCA junior Jonathan Dickerson.

Dickerson was referring to his classmate Dillon Villegas who was diagnosed with leukemia in April 2008.

Dickerson will use his gifts of music this Saturday night in Joseph Newkirk Auditorium at HCA to “reach out and help” his friend and classmate at a praise team concert and benefit.

Dickerson said he met Villegas when they were in elementary school. He transferred to HCA before middle school and Dickerson joined him during their sophomore year of high school.

Currently, Villegas is enrolled in Union High School to obtain homebound tutoring, but he anticipates keeping up with his classmates and returning to HCA as soon as his health permits, his mother, Emily Villegas, stated.

The Villegas family “don’t have much to do with (the concert) except being blessed,” Emily Villegas remarked. The idea and the planning began in November 2008 with Dickerson.

Josh Nobles, Dickerson’s minister of music at Trinity United Methodist Church in Elizabethtown, said he wanted to “give kids the chance to come up with ideas” about where they wanted to play their music. Dickerson mentioned Dillon Villegas. “We all know Dillon and his parents so I told them, ‘You plan it, I’ll make sure it happens’.”

The praise team then went to work contacting businesses for donations and making tickets and flyers while Nobles handled the “adult work” such as confirming the venue. “They did most of the footwork ... I didn’t have a lot of work,” Nobles reported.

The bands set to play Saturday night are the Trinity praise team called Free Will and All In One.

Dillon Villegas has expressed that he’s really excited about the concert, Dickerson mentioned. “He is excited that so many people are going out of their way for him, and he thinks it will be a great blessing to everyone.”

His mother affirmed this statement, and said that his whole family feels the impact of the blessing of the concert.

“(The concert) shows (Dillon) that his friends really care about him ... it would be real easy for him to feel left out while the rest of his friends continue doing things most juniors do ... but he feels really loved and blessed ... I feel real loved, too. It’s a warm and cozy feeling to know that they care so much about Dillon and us.”

Emily Villegas added that her son is planning to attend the benefit. “He’s had a good week so far. I hope that will materialize to bring that to fruition.”

Blessings are exactly what Nobles had in mind when he challenged the praise team to use their talents.

“Trinity, and any church I hope in America, is not inward focused. We adopt the model of outreach and we support our kids getting involved in the community. We want to promote God even when we are not in church ... We care for the hurting, broken and lost.”

But Dillon Villegas is not the only target of the blessings the praise team hopes to convey, Nobles commented. He hopes all in attendance will benefit on a spiritual level.

“Tim Reeves (Dillon’s pastor at Windsor United Methodist Church in Ammon), will share a message on salvation and the strong beliefs Dillon holds. We want everyone there to experience God for themselves.”

As of Tuesday night, Dickerson estimated $2,000 raised so far. The goal of the concert, he said, is to raise $5,000.

The whole school has been reaching out to help Dillon throughout the school year, Dickerson reported. Previously, the student ambassadors initiated a loose change fund to help meet specific needs expressed by Dillon Villegas. “We are trying to help any way we can,” Dickerson commented.

Tickets for the benefit concert are being sold in advance and at the door.

Anyone interested in offering financial support may donate to a tax-deductible fund set up through Windsor United Methodist Church in Elizabethtown.

Amy Kelly can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 119, or by email at sigov@myclintonnc.com.