Video by Kayli Weiss ’18. Fundraising concert in Kresge Auditorium, Nov. 17.

Students involved in fundraising efforts to help people struggling to recover from the recent spate of natural disasters have organized several campus events, including concerts, tea sales, and (non-alcoholic) piña colada study breaks.

Karen Chan ’18, who is overseeing many of the fundraising efforts with Grace Punzalan ’18 and Adaiah Hudgins-Lopez ’18, said a concert last Saturday night raised almost $600 for the charity Direct Relief. “We chose the organization Direct Relief because it is a more holistic charity,” she said. “It provides aid to multiple places affected by natural disasters, like Iran (which had a devastating earthquake recently), California, Florida, Puerto Rico, Texas, etc.”

Chan and Punzalan are throwing another fundraising concert Friday evening, Nov. 17, at Jack Magee’s Pub. Musicians with the Bowdoin Music Collaborative will perform jazz, classic rock and pop music. The suggested entry donation is $3.

Other student groups have organized a boba tea sale and a piña colada study break.

Before the end of the semester, Chan and Punzalan will host a troop of Girl Scouts who will sell cookies in Smith Union on Dec. 9. These proceeds will be donated to the Girl Scouts in Puerto Rico. More fundraising events will take place next semester.

“One of the biggest reasons Grace and I wanted to organize these events is because Bowdoin is so removed from these disasters,” Chan said. “We want to give Bowdoin students the opportunity to help and be aware of those affected by natural disasters. They tend to happen so far away, so it is easy for us to forget, be ignorant, or feel helpless.”

She added, “Additionally, there are many Bowdoin families that have been affected, so this event is a way in which the Bowdoin and local community can show support and let them know that we care.”