This year, the French Club will celebrate Mardi Gras with festivities for a cause close to its members’ hearts.
Mardi Gras, which is closely associated with the French holiday Carnival, is an important time to call attention to those in need, according to Christie Goyette, French Club publicity chair.
“The holiday is a good time to raise awareness of causes such as the Avalon Refugee Center because (the celebration) is often very extravagant, which is a sharp contrast to the way the people at Avalon live,” Goyette said.
[box]The Mardi Gras benefit When: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 21 Where: Carlton Kitchen Why: Funds raised will be donated to the refugees at the Avalon Community Center.[/box] Since it was founded in February 2009, the Avalon Community Center has provided a home for hundreds of international refugees. Still, the families housed at Avalon live in poverty and the children don’t always have access to a quality education.
In response to the needs of the refugees at Avalon, the French Club has become involved in volunteer work to benefit the center. Club members frequently visit the children to socialize with them and to provide tutoring.
“Since we’ve gotten so involved with the center and personally know so many of the people who live there, we felt that it would be fitting to donate the proceeds from our Mardi Gras party to benefit (them),” Goyette said.
Raising funds for Avalon is a great way to get students to think globally and act locally, said Sarah Glasco, assistant professor of foreign languages and faculty adviser to the French Club.
“We have taken on Avalon as our home charity so that we can make an impact here, one that students can see with their own eyes,” Glasco said.
To raise money for Avalon, the French Club will charge a $5 entry fee for the Mardi Gras benefit. Festivities will include New Orleans-inspired gumbo, cookie decorating and prizes throughout the night.