The Campus Rotaract Club of Davis is sponsoring a night of food and entertainment to raise money for street children in Latin America. The event, titled “International Night,” will be held Monday from 7 to 10 p.m. at Freeborn Hall.
International Night will celebrate different cultures around the world with food and multicultural performances, said Marcus Tang, co-president of the Campus Rotaract Club.
“The goal of the event is to celebrate international diversity and to fundraise for Casa Alianza, our club’s charity project this year,” Tang said in an e-mail.
Casa Alianza is a nonprofit organization dedicated to rehabilitating street children in countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua,and Honduras. It provides medical care, shelter, food, guidance and love to those who have been abandoned, abused, or are living in poverty, Tang said.
“Many children [in Latin America] are forced into poverty and have to turn to selling drugs and their bodies to try to make ends meet,” said Louis Han, treasurer of Campus Rotaract. “It’s not because they’re orphans – it’s because they have to find a way to support themselves and their families.”
Although it is only the first year the Campus Rotaract Club of Davis has been in existence, they wanted take on the ambitious project, Tang said.
“CRC Davis has been involved in local community service throughout the year, but we began planning this long-term project around December of last year when we decided on an international service project,” he said.
The theme, International Night was chosen by the Northern California district of Rotary International, said Mitty Chang, co-president of Campus Rotaract. Rotary International has been around for over 100 years and is the parent organization that sponsors clubs to provide community service.
Chang, a sophomore political science and history double major, said the district decided to adopt the project for a year.
As a part of their contribution, the club hopes to raise $3,000 on International Night to donate to Casa Alianza.
Tang, a sophomore political science and communications double-major, is working with other club members to gather donations from local vendors to sponsor International Night.
Among participating vendors include Sophia’s Thai Kitchen and Jamba Juice. Sophia’s Thai Kitchen will be donating Pad Thai and Jamba Juice will sell smoothies, with 20 percent of the profit going toward Casa Alianza.
“We are aiming for an assortment of cultural foods, but will also probably feature common foods such as pizza, pasta and salad,” Tang said.
In addition to food, International Night will showcase a variety of campus organizations including hip-hop dance team Mobility, Na Keiki O Hawaii, English Country Dancers, the Chinese Dance and Art Club and Spoken Word performances by individual students.
The club will also be raffling gift certificates and children’s toys donated by local vendors to raise more money for Casa Alianza.
International Night is open to the public and pre-sale tickets can be purchased for $8 at the Freeborn ticket office or at the Campus Rotaract Club information table near the Coffee House. Tickets purchased at the door will be $10.
Han, a sophomore sociology major, said no other organization on campus is offering both a performance and a buffet dinner for such a good deal.
For more information about International Night or the Campus Rotaract Club of Davis, visit crcdavis.org.
THUY TRAN can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com. XXX
