By snoadmin
Crowds of students and other guests gathered at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden on Wednesday for live music, refreshments and a silent art auction, with all proceeds benefiting the Japanese Red Cross.
The Sakura Blossom Benefit for Japan began at 6 p.m. The gardens quickly filled with students, faculty and other guests who wanted to show their support for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The art auction contained paintings, sculptures and other works donated by students from the art department.
“Some of my students submitted work to the auction, and I wanted to participate to something that would benefit this cause,” painting professor Marie Thibeault said.
In addition, local band Squarefish performed a few indie folk-rock songs.
“I think the band really added to the atmosphere of the event and they had an amazing performance,” said Jazmine Contreras, social chair of the University Honors Program Student Association.
Guests were encouraged to fold origami cranes to show support. Sophomore Chrissy Bastian helped teach others how to construct the paper birds.
“In Japanese culture, if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, you can make a wish,” Bastian said. “Our goal is to fold 1,000 cranes as a symbol that we wish for hope for the victims of the tsunami.”
Entrepreneur Paloma Torres supported the charity by designing “I Love Japan” T-shirts, which were sold for $25, with 70 percent of the proceeds going to charity.
“I heard about the tragedy and I have a lot of friends in Japan, so I started designing the shirts immediately,” Torres said. “My brother-in-law is a student here, and told me about this event, and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to sell some of them.”
The shirts are still available for purchase through Torres’ website fepadesign.com.
“I think it was an incredible success,” said Sydney Featherstone of the UHPSA. “I was very pleased with the diverse groups of students that came to show their support.”
According to Contreras, the event raised about $1,500 for the charity, surpassing the initial goal of $1,000.
“I am super happy that we were able to have so many people attend and enjoy the event,” Contreras said. “I would definitely say the night was a success and everything ran very smoothly.”
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