Last weekend, Elizabethtown College’s Education Organization and several performance-based clubs on campus turned entertainment into service, during the College’s 10th Annual A-T Benefit performance.
The Education Organization of Elizabethtown College (Ed Org) continued the school’s tradition of service Saturday night, Jan. 24, with the 10th Annual A-T Benefit performance.
The show raised money for the A-T Children’s Project, a charity organization focused on funding international research groups in their efforts to find not only a cure for ataxia-telangiectasia, but also therapies for improving the quality of life for those individuals suffering from the disease.
A-T is a degenerative disease that affects children, with the first symptoms usually appearing when toddlers are learning to walk. The disease affects multiple body systems. The main areas affected are usually the brain, which causes a general lack of muscle control, and the immune system, which leaves children open to various respiratory infections. Children suffering from A-T also develop cancer much more frequently than those without the disease. Because there is no cure, and because of the high chance of life-threatening illnesses, A-T patients rarely live past their mid-twenties with very few living to age 40.
Tickets for this charity event were $5. During the evening, audience members were treated to a dynamic concert that showcased some of the most talented Blue Jays.
In addition to paying for the show, attendees were encouraged to purchase various items including wrist-bands, ribbons and other items to show their support for those suffering from A-T.
Emotion, Etown’s largest club, kicked off the evening before an audience of Etown students, faculty and staff members and members of the broader Etown community, congregated in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. Their enthusiasm set the tone for the rest of the groups throughout the night.
Their dancing was followed by Melica, Etown’s award-winning women’s a capella group. Vocalign, the College’s co-ed a capella group, continued the evening’s entertainment with several numbers. After entertainment from these groups, the dance team continued the excitement of the night.
Mad Cow, the campus improvisational comedy-sketch group was next on the program. Many laughs accompanied the performers’ antics. The final performers of the night were the members of the all-male campus a Capella group, Phalanx.
As one of the student organizations available to education majors, Ed Org strives to create a space for future educators to feel welcome and motivated to become successful in their future education endeavors.
In addition to the annual A-T benefit, members of Ed Org also participate in numerous activities throughout the year in both social and service settings. These events include after-school tutoring, volunteering for the Ronald McDonald house, participating in the college’s service day, Into The Streets, as well as many others.
The College’s founding and on-going mission is to “Educate for Service.” Saturday night’s A-T Benefit performance in Leffler showcased this.
Etown education students spent several months planning the evening’s events. Dozens of our students, having spent countless hours practicing and preparing, performed in front of hundreds of donors, all for the benefit of children suffering from a debilitating and fatal disease.
