Jump Out Of A Plane For A Good Cause

Mihaylo College alumnus Billy Becerra ’10  and Skydive Elsinore are teaming up to raise money and awareness for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).

As a non-profit hospital, CHOC relies on community support to provide leading-edge care for infants, children and adolescents close to home. The band Rotus, featuring the Mihaylo alumnus, and Skydive Elsinore are hosting the charity event through Adventures 4 Charity to ensure that kids get the best pediatric care possible.

The event will be on August 18, 2012 and skydiving will be from 11am to 7pm. If you raise $500 or more, you receive a free tandem skydive. Food and drinks will be served at 7pm and at 8pm Rotus will rock the stage with live music and entertainment to wrap up the charity event.

Rotus is a grunge metal band that was created by Billy Becerra and David Soria .   They met in the New Venture Creation Class at Mihaylo. Their original business plan was to create something similar to a “School of Rock” as an incubator for rock bands.  They named their project “Metal Institute” but later changed it to “Metal Society” under the advisement of Professor Jackson and Professor Evans of Mihaylo’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

Since the two were in the business of nurturing new bands, they thought it would be a great idea to start one of their own. This is when Rotus was formed. Becerra has years of experience on drums and Soria has been a guitarist for 13 years. .

Rotus opened for Great White and has also had special guests perform on stage with them including Michael Anthony, formerly with Van Halen. They were also the headliner at USC’s music venue Tommy’s Place.

Linking up with Skydive Elsinore through Adventures 4 Charity is important to the band because it’s for a great cause. The team goal is to raise $5,000 and the members of Rotus say, “If you’re not feeling adventurous and choose not to skydive, we still appreciate any donations you can give to support CHOC.”