George Washington students will host an evening of university dance, a cappella and arts groups performances to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Organized by GW Responds, a student group formed within the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service to aid those affected by natural disasters, “A Hurricane Sandy Benefit Showcase” begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday at GW’s Lisner Auditorium. Tickets, which can be purchased online, are $7 for students and $10 for other members of the university or public. All of the event’s proceeds will support Adopt-A-Classroom, which will donate materials to K-12 classrooms hit hardest by the hurricane that devastated a large swath of the East Coast last October.
“The benefit will really show the unity of the campus, with many student performance groups on stage for a great cause,” said GW Responds member Christopher Orkwis, a senior majoring in biology. “There will be many opportunities to learn about the mission of GW Responds and ways you can support it.”
Thursday’s event adds to months of student-driven fundraising efforts and service trips.
Students collected thousands of items of clothing and nonperishable foods worth an estimated $7,000, and organized trips for more than 30 students and staff to assist affected areas in New Jersey and New York. They’ve also maintained a blog to raise awareness.
The effort has taught group members the intricacies and difficulties of running a large-scale relief campaign emphasizing social media to engage students, said Kelsey Siwek, a GW Responds member and junior majoring in international affairs with a concentration in public health.
“GW Responds is important because it has allowed students to be involved in helping those affected by Hurricane Sandy for a sustained period,” Ms. Siwek said. “It has been a yearlong initiative to help, which I think is one of the most important parts. Six months after the storm, we are still committed to sending students down on a service trip and raising money for Adopt-A-Classroom.”
For many GW students, Hurricane Sandy literally hit home.
Mr. Orkwis, a Long Island native whose extended family experienced two totaled cars and flooded basements due to the storm, said he was moved to get involved in GW Responds after his plan for running the New York City Marathon changed to helping the NYC Marathon of Relief Efforts, which was assisting community members in Rockaway, Queens, immediately after the hurricane hit.
“My sister and I spent the day going through a flooded basement trying to salvage pictures,” Mr. Orkwis said. “It gave me great perspective on the lives that Hurricane Sandy affected and made it very personal for me. I saw these memories that a family captured on camera and thought of my own family and how it would be to carry on after a storm hit our house and took our physical reminders of those memories. It was truly humbling.”
The benefit on Thursday won’t be the final act for GW Responds—the group is sending more than a dozen students and staff members to Staten Island that same day for another service trip, working with the organization Rebuild Staten Island.
Those who cannot attend the benefit can also make a donation to GW Responds. The group is no longer accepting supply donations.