McLachlan Uses Status To Help

Not only did she organize what is turning out to be the summer's most successful and possibly the most popular festival, but Sarah McLachlan is quite the philanthropist as well.| It seems that one of the goals for the Lilith Fair was to raise enough money so they'd be able to give back to the communities in which they played. Starting off their summer run with an extremely high grossing show, pulling in close to $815,000 at the Gorge in George, Wash., Lilith Fair was poised to repeat that many times over.

The plan was to donate $1 from each ticket sold to a specific charity in each city the festival visits. So far, McLachlan has handed over checks of a considerable amount, including $30,000 to Haven in Pontiac, Mich., and $21,000 to a Seattle-based abuse center. She estimates that the Lilith Fair will raise and distribute more than $600,000 in total to all the charities throughout the summer. "I'm in a position of power where we're making a lot of money on this tour," McLachlan told the Wall Of Sound, "and it's a really nice feeling to be able to go into a community and leave a positive mark." (AB)
(photo courtesy of Paul Natkin)