The second annual Healing Hearts with Harmony benefit concert was held at the North Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, May 6.

The concert included musical performances by eight extracurricular ensembles from Naperville North including Bella Corda, Painted Noise, the McKeska Trio, The Dissonants, Dead Yet Alive, Mendelssohn and Daughters Quartet, Percussion Ensemble and Brass Quintet.

At the door, the event raised $1,723 to benefit the Swifty Foundation, a charity that funds pediatric brain cancer research. Donations are continuing online as well.

Senior Taylor Kroma came up with the idea for the concert last year after her dad grew sick and was in the hospital for an extended amount of time. When her dad recovered, she organized the event and donated the proceeds to Edward Hospital.

“In the midst of that unfortunate experience, I decided that I wanted to give back to the community, and the only way I knew how to do that was through music,” Kroma said.

After the successful experience last year, Kroma decided to establish the concert as an annual event. However, she wanted to change the charity it benefitted each year.

“We decided the Swifty Foundation would be a really awesome cause because it’s a charity that is so close to our Naperville home,” Kroma said. “I thought it would help to really bring everyone together.”

Juniors Kira Couch and Colin Hassett, who are both involved in the Swifty Foundation, assisted Kroma in spreading the word about the event by preparing Powerpoints and promoting it on the Swifty Foundation Facebook page.

“As far as the actual event goes, [Kroma] organized almost all of it,” Couch said. “We were just there to help her because she’s been so kind to give the money back to us.”

Hassett said the NNHS community has been really supportive of the concert.

“I like the idea that all the kids here are trying to help out,” Hassett said. “It’s really cool that everyone is so involved.”

Couch is looking forward to the concert continuing in future years because it is such an interesting idea.

“The music programs we have here are just incredible,” Couch said. “I think that combining music with such an important cause that is so near to our hearts is really cool.”