Ninth annual Statts Fest raises money for Savannah crime victim - Savannah Morning News

Hundreds of people came to Grayson Stadium on Saturday to help raise money for one of Savannah’s most popular homegrown fundraisers: Statts Fest.

The annual event has been held in locations around Savannah for nine years, and all proceeds from the event go toward the medical costs of Jason Statts.

Nine years ago, Statts was a victim of a violent crime in Savannah. Statts and bandmate David Williams were dropping off some band equipment in Ardsley Park when they were approached by two men.

One of the men put a gun to Statts’s neck and shot him at point-blank range. The bullet went through him, and lodged into Williams’s neck. Williams was left unable to speak, but eventually recovered.

The bullet caused permanent damage to Statts’s spinal column. Statts, a professional graphic designer and musician, was left a quadriplegic with partial use of his arms, no longer able to work.

Statts was a member of the Savannah College of Art and Design graduate class of 1996. He receives government assistance to cover mounting medical costs, and family and friends host fundraisers like Statts Fest to help with living and other expenses.

“You can’t even imagine what it costs to be a quadriplegic,” Emily Doherty said. “The rental cost for just his bed is insane. And it’s ongoing, he’ll be paying for the rest of his life, so we have to keep going — throw a good party and raise as much money as we can.”

The first organized event benefiting Statts was held at The Jinx shortly after he was shot — and it worked. The benefit concert was able to raise enough money to help Statts with his medical costs.

“It’s so much beyond you as an individual. Everybody pulls together all of their talents,” Doherty said. “I do marketing; our friend Jen Young does graphic design. We all utilize our talents, donate our time and our services.”

But it didn’t stop there. The core group of folks who organized the concert decided to put their combined talents together to help their friend. The Friends of Statts organization was founded, and Statts Fest was born.

This was the second year the event was held at Grayson Stadium. Savannah Bananas president Jared Orton said he was happy to have Friends of Statts hold their event on the Bananas’ home field.

“Last year, we didn’t know what to expect, but it was so cool, and there are so many different people that come out,” Orton said. “They have a live auction, music, food, drinks, and immediately after the event last year, I said, ‘We have to do that again.”

Musical acts DJ Basically, Bottles &Cans, Clouds &Satellites, Damon and the Sh!tkickers all performed at the concert portion of Statts Fest. The Train Wrecks returned to close out the concert, as they did last year.

Doherty said the event has been successful all these years because of the kindness the Savannah community has shown toward one of their own.

“We, as human beings, have a duty to help others in need,” Doherty said. “It speaks to our community and how big their hearts are.”

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