Last modified: Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Upcoming Bloomington events to raise money for Haiti through song, poetry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Two upcoming events in Bloomington will raise money for the people of Haiti in the wake of the tragedy caused by the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12. An Indiana University student majoring in theater has organized a March 6 concert, while a poetry event March 9 will feature both IU professors and professors from DePauw University.
UN Photo/Logan Abassi
An IU undergraduate student organized a concert to benefit victims of the Haiti earthquake. All proceeds will go to Global Aid Network.
A concert benefit fundraiser for Global Aid Network: March 6, 8 p.m., Willkie Auditorium
IU junior Elisabeth Wurm, a theater major in the IU School of Theatre and Drama, has organized a Haiti benefit concert scheduled for 8 p.m. March 6 at Willkie Auditorium.
All donations will be sent to Global Aid Network (GAIN), an outreach organization that works in partnership with Campus Crusade for Christ ministries.
Wurm, an active member of IU's Grammy Award-nominated Singing Hoosiers choral ensemble, said she wanted to do something for Haiti, but wasn't sure of how she could help.
"I'm not a missionary and I can't go build houses in Haiti -- my gifts are singing and acting and directing and organizing," said Wurm. "I realized I could use those gifts to donate to Haiti."
Wurm said she knows many talented students and alums in both the Jacobs School of Music and the Department of Theatre and Drama whose talents will be showcased for the cause. The event will feature two bands, several soloists and an award-winning harpist, among other performances.
Willkie is donating the space rental, and Campus Crusade for Christ is backing the concert. Attendees can purchase tickets at the door for $7. Doors open at 7:30. While Willkie seats about 350, "we'll have standing room," said Wurm. For more information about GAIN, see https://www.gainusa.org/.
Contact Elisabeth Wurm at ewurm@indiana.edu for more information.
Poetry for a cause: March 9, 6:30 p.m., Rose Firebay, John Waldron Arts Center
South Central Indiana literary communities will come together for a collaborative reading to benefit Haiti Soleil and Partners in Health March 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Rose Firebay at the John Waldron Arts Center (122 S. Walnut St.).
Catherine Bowman, IU's Ruth Lilly Professor of Poetry, has organized a poetry reading to benefit Haiti.
Award winning-poets and members of both the DePauw University and IU Creative Writing Programs who will read their work at the event are Catherine Bowman (IU), Richard Cecil (IU), Debra Kang Dean (DePauw), Romayne Rubinas Dorsey (IU), Ross Gay (IU), Eugene Gloria (DePauw), Joseph Heithaus (DePauw), Maurice Manning (IU), Alyce Miller (IU), Maura Stanton (IU) and Crystal Williams (DePauw).
"Though I have never been to Haiti, I deeply admire the splendor and genius of the sacred arts and music of Haiti," said Bowman, the Ruth Lilly Professor of Poetry at IU. Bowman said she noticed artists around the world gathering to raise money for Haiti and thought she could help make a contribution by organizing members of the South Central Indiana literary community for a poetry reading. "So here we are with several diverse voices uniting to offer an enjoyable evening of poetry and at the same time offer some aid to the poeple of Haiti," she said.
Haiti Soleil is a nonprofit organization in Berkeley, Calif., founded to help bring about social change in Haiti by empowering the country's young people. The group's mission is to build and develop community-centered public libraries, museums and other institutions of educational and cultural exchange focused on advancing the intellectual growth of young Haitian citizens. For more information on Haiti Soleil, see https://www.haitisoleil.org/.
Partners in Health uses a community-based approach to enact change in developing areas, including challenged areas of Peru, Rwanda and Haiti. For more information on Partners in Health, see https://www.pih.org/home2.html.
The requested donation is $10, and 100 percent of proceeds will go to Haiti Soleil and Partners in Health.
Conact Catherine Bowman at 812-322-2518 or cabowman@indaina.edu with any questions.
