‘Rock on Rach’ honors IU student

After ten minutes, guests flooded Rachael’s Café, sitting at tables and standing in clusters, they hugged, chatted and remembered Rachel DiPietro-James.

After an hour and a half, the event reached its goal of raising $500 in her name.
“Rock on Rach” was the first benefit concert held in DiPietro-James’ honor by her friends. By the end of the night, $1,200 was raised.

“We had ideas to make a fundraiser. At first it was just e-mail to her friends for donations, but a big concert is something her friends could come to and hang out,” said Krista Lepore, a benefit organizer and friend of DiPietro-James.

Five hundred dollars will fund the planting of a pink dogwood tree on campus in DiPietro-James’ memory.

“It’s something flowery and Rachel would appreciate it,“ said Cecily Dibble, a Bloomington resident and friend of DiPietro-James, who also organized the benefit. “It’s bright and noticeable.”

Beneath the tree will be a plaque to remember DiPietro-James with the last line of a poem she wrote, “seize life in your heart and fill it with days.”

The full poem was available for guests to read as they walked into the benefit along with a book of memories to write in and a box for donations.

Lepore, a junior, said the words from the poem are words everyone should live by and inspire her to have as much passion for life as DiPietro-James did.

“The original thought was just for a tree on campus but then we realized we could make more money and a scholarship would go on forever,” Dibble said.

The additional $700 raised will help fund a scholarship in DiPietro-James’ honor. Also, NRG Sports is matching the money and donating $700 to the scholarship fund. Lepore said DiPietro-James’ brother, Nick, is the director of business development for NPG Marketing, LLC.

According to the department of Spanish and Portuguese Web site, the “Rachel DiPietro-James Scholarship” is given to a student in the Council on International Educational Exchange’s Study Abroad in Argentina Program each year.

The name for the concert, “Rock on Rach” was a way to say, live on Rachel, and publicize the benefit on facebook, Dibble said.

When Lepore and Dibble started planning the benefit a month and a half ago, Lepore said they picked Rachael’s Café because it is a very open place and the name was perfect.

However, Dibble, who lived down the street from the café with DiPietro-James last year, remembered DiPietro-James was furious when the café opened because she was a chef and it was a dream of hers to open a café called Rachel’s Café.

Dibble and Lepore agreed the café was a place DiPietro-James would have liked.

Dibble said most of the guests went to high school with DiPietro-James and at least one member of each of the bands also went to high school with her. Lepore added the musicians were very willing to play and help with the benefit.

“We want everyone to have a great time as a dedication to Rachel and everything she brought us,” Lepore said. “She taught us to always carry love in our hearts and never take advantage of the days we have.”