When Poly student Marcos Mena heard that his grandmother was diagnosed with mesothelioma—a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the membrane lining of the lungs and abdomen—he didn’t wallow in his sadness, but rather, he stood up and decided to do something about it, and make some money for cancer research.

Screen Shot 2014-06-12 at 11.52.53 AMDubbed the “Mini-Coachella of Long Beach,” Mena’s [pictured right] love and talent for music—his work as a jazz guitarist for Poly’s jazz band has won him accolades, including most recently at the Reno Jazz Festival.—inspired him to follow the model of the well-known festival and translate it into a charity event. On the last day of school. For as cheap as possible. With little more than his own connections.

“I wanted to bring together great local talent and do something, anything, as my personal answer to my grandmother’s recent cancer diagnosis,” said Mena

But what resources does a teenager have? In this case Mena has his sister, Zoe, a charity drive guru who’s collected socks, coats, canned goods, books and more in six campaigns across Lon Beach. Then he has the PR talent that is Jennifer Delson, and last but not least, Mena looked to longtime family friend Michelle Molina to help him not only organize the event but do the most important thing of all, which was to finding a place to host the Mini-chella.

“He came looking for a venue,” Molina said. “So we put him through the ringer with a rigorous Q&A—and then we knew he was up for the task. I connected him with MADHaus and now we have ourselves a concert.”

Screen Shot 2014-06-12 at 12.01.39 PMWith the venue at no cost, the bands all playing pro bono, and a bargain-basement $3 admission price, this nearly seven-hour long mini-music-fest is shaping up to be an array of local awesomeness, which will include:

“How often do you get to listen to music on a Friday at 3 o’clock?” Molina asked. “It’s gonna be cool all around because it’s going to introduce kids and families not just to music they’ve probably never heard before but bring them to a neighborhood they have probably never visited.”

The guest of honor, Mena’s grandmother, who will be flying out to attend the festivites.

The Mini-Coachella dedicated to raising money for the Todd Cancer Institute will take place tomorrow, June 13, from 2:30PM to 10PM at MADHaus, located at 624 Pacific Ave. To RSVP, click here. Attendees are encouraged to use the hashtag #LBCUnited on Twitter and Instagram. 

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