The public is invited to join with students, faculty and staff at UBC Okanagan on Sunday afternoon for a benefit concert for Haiti earthquake relief.
The Hope for Haiti concert -- this Sunday, Jan. 31, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the University Centre ballroom UNC200 -- will feature student performers, Hugo De Burgos and friends, the Latin Dance Club and more. Student clubs will participate, and a silent auction, bake sale and other activities will help raise funds for the relief effort.
Donations will be collected for the Red Cross. UBC Okanagan professor Virginie Magnat will provide information about Haiti and there will be a Red Cross update about relief work underway in Haiti.
"From the first time I saw the news on TV, I could feel their sorrow," says Jaime Cuberos, a second-year Arts student who was among the first to rally the UBC Okanagan community behind a fund-raiser for Haiti. Born in Colombia, Cuberos completed high school in El Salvador before coming to UBC Okanagan as a recipient of the International Leader of Tomorrow scholarship.
"Having a bit of background knowledge of Haiti, I knew it has been very bad for them," he says. "If I could afford it, I would take a plane and help out. I understand that we have thousands of kilometers between us, but distance doesn't stop us from having a connection.
"We should help each other out - we have the resources, and a moral obligation to give these people a hand. If we have the possibility of helping out, by all means we should do it."
If you wish to contribute items for the silent auction or bake sale, contact Chelsea Butchart (chelsea.butchart@ubc.ca) or Liz Hilliard (liz.hilliard@ubc.ca) in the Campus Life Office at 250-807-9820. If you cannot attend the benefit but wish to donate, contact International Student Advisor Terri Flanagan 250-807-9276.
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