This week I was originally assigned a story on the Tournees Festival, a series of French films being shown in McEwen this month. However, when I contacted the faculty advisor to the French Club, the organization responsible for the Festival, I was led to a whole new story idea.
The faculty advisor, Dr. Glascow, told me about a Mardi Gras party being hosted by the French Club next week. What makes this party special though, is that it is also a fundraiser for refugees at the Avalon Community Center in Greensboro, N.C.
It struck me that Mardi Gras is not the most typical time of year for fundraisers. As Dr. Glascow explained it to me, Mardi Gras is a holiday that many American college students enjoy and can identify with, and is therefore a great time to get people involved with the cause.
The club’s publicity chair, Christie Goyette had a really interesting point about the significance of fundraising during Mardi Gras. She said that Mardi Gras “is often very extravagant, which is a stark contrast from the way the people at Avalon live.”
I think the French Club is definitely on to something here. It’s important to keep in mind that not everyone in America can celebrate Mardi Gras the way so many of us at Elon are accustomed to.