Partying for a good cause
The sounds of Dance Dance Revolution on a projector screen pounded through the TSC, the raffle ticked away everyone’s chances to win a prize redeemable to local restaurants and the Newlywed Game attracted both single and married students Thursday night.
This party had a $5 charge per couple, used to help a family in need, said Natalie Woodbury, president of the Associated Students for Family Consumer and Human Development Club (ASFCHD), the organization that hosted the event. The father of the family was recently diagnosed with cancer and the family needed a little bit of help, she said.
“His medical bills are just piling up and he has four kids,” said Samantha Nelsen, club vice president and senior in family, consumer and human development (FCHD).
The ASFCHD club is starting to pick up the pace and hold more activities and events, Nelsen said.
“We’re really trying to get people involved,” Nelsen said. “But technically speaking, everyone that declared FCHD is a part of the club.”
This is the first fundraiser the club has done, Woodbury said. In the FCHD offices they will be collecting money all semester, Woodbury said.
The club is focused on preparing students for graduate studies, service and activities, said Victor Harris, faculty adviser to ASFCHD.
Nelsen said the club held a seminar last semester about what students can do with a degree from the FCHD department with guests to speak to students. They also hosted other activities to meet club members and get the word out about the club, Nelsen said.
“We’ve decided that we really want to promote activities,” Harris said.
It was the first activity Seiko Kanawanza, senior in FCHD, had been to that was sponsored by ASFCHD, she said. One of her professors advertised the activity in her class and convinced her to go, she said.
“I usually don’t get to hang out with many American people,” Kanawanza said. “This activity is pretty fun.”
The Utah State ballroom dance team also offered their skills and gave a small performance for the audience. There were games on each table and there were groups playing Yahtzee, Catch Phrase, Uno and Bingo for free shake gift cards to Arctic Circle. And while the activity was sponsored by ASFCHD, everyone was invited and all are encouraged to donate to help the family in need, Nelsen said.
The ASFCHD Club’s goals are to help students in their major and help them to know how to best use their degree, serve the community and interact socially with others from the major, Nelsen said.
For more information about the club or to donate to help a family in need, contact Woodbury at n.woodbury@aggiemail.usu.edu.
–seth.bracken@aggiemail.usu.edu