Band's Fulton Co. fund-raiser hits home for Habit's drummer

6/23/2010

DELTA - Cliff Reynolds and his bandmates in The Habit are accustomed to charity performances - they've done annual benefits for the families of four men killed in a Toledo construction accident in 2004.

But this weekend, they'll participate in a benefit that cuts a little closer to home. Drummer Aaron Stewart's home, to be precise.

Mr. Stewart and his family were in Coldwater, Mich., when a tornado roared through his Swancreek Township neighborhood on the night of June 5. He braced for the worst when his brother, a Fayette police officer, told him his neighbor's house had been reportedly destroyed, and he returned to find his home leveled.

"A few sentimental pictures" was all that could be saved, Mr. Stewart said last week. But he was insured, and rebuilding can begin on the house where he had lived for seven years.

The Habit, which plays 1970s-1980s rock music, will be headlining the tornado-victims' benefit fund-raiser 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Delta American Legion hall, 5939 State Rt. 109. Several other local bands are set to perform. There will be food, children's face painting, a 50/50 raffle, and a silent auction to raise money for the dozens of Fulton County residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the June 5 storm.

"We just try to help," said Cliff Reynolds, owner of a Delta automotive shop who is the band's leader and bass player.

Mr. Stewart said he is giving back to a community that has reached out to him in his time of need. "I'm just glad to help out wherever I can," he said.