2008 Woodie Awards
URI chapter of Keep a Child Alive raises $800 for children with AIDS
Bridgette Blight
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
11/30/07 - The University of Rhode Island chapter of Keep a Child Alive (KCA) raised approximately $800 for AIDS-stricken children in Africa during its Black Ball fundraiser Thursday night.
More than 90 people attended the event, given the same name as the national organization's yearly fundraiser.
"This is our first year, so this event is a chance to introduce ourselves," said Celanda Montilla, senior Woman Studies major and president of the URI Keep a Child Alive chapter.
Writers, singers and dancers, all college students, performed at the Black Ball. One striking performance was by Community College of Rhode Island student Jackie Barros. Barros sang "Stand Up for Love" by Destiny's Child, the theme song for McDonald's World Children's Day in 2005. As Barros' powerful voice rang through the ballroom, a slideshow of children affected by AIDS and celebrities endorsing KCA was shown on the stage. Barros' performance ended with a standing ovation and a request from Montilla for students to help combat "this pandemic that is killing millions of children in Africa each year."
Before Barros sang, Harry Moore performed a spoken word piece about a young girl in Rhode Island who contracted AIDS, underscoring how the AIDS crisis has an effect everywhere. The URI Dance Company danced to "One" by U2 and Mary J. Blige. Manny X sang an original song "A Kiss Through Glass." Flava Unit danced to a medley of hip-hop songs. Two sets of partners from the URI Ballroom Dance Club performed standard and Latin dances.
Theo Martins and Jamie V. Ferguson were emcees for the night. They shared statistics about the AIDS crisis in Africa between performances. Martins and Ferguson informed attendees that a child dies of AIDS every minute, and that 76% of AIDS victims live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Jimmy Medina, Harry Rhau and Jimmy Derosiers were the house band for the night. Calling themselves "The Band," the group performed instrumentals while attendees dined on food from Ramaraya Restaurant. The audience watched a video slideshow about the global AIDS crisis set to music by U2. Bono, U2's lead singer, is a humanitarian and global AIDS activist. He was honored at KCA's annual Black Ball, held in New York City on Oct. 25.
When attendees entered the ballroom, they walked the red carpet, complete with paparazzi. A photographer from Eric R. Photo Studio was on hand to snap pictures.
KCA began with a chance encounter at an AIDS clinic in Mombasa, Kenya in 2002. According to the organization's website, Leigh Blake, an AIDS activist, was so touched by a woman's need for anti-retroviral drugs for her AIDS-infected son that she paid for the medication herself.
The national organization uses 100% of its public donations, minus a 3% credit card fee, to help children in Africa affected by AIDS. The money goes to providing anti-retroviral drugs and medical care to infected children, as well as orphanages for children whose parents died of AIDS. Singer Alicia Keys is KCA's global ambassador.
More than 90 people attended the event, given the same name as the national organization's yearly fundraiser.
"This is our first year, so this event is a chance to introduce ourselves," said Celanda Montilla, senior Woman Studies major and president of the URI Keep a Child Alive chapter.
Writers, singers and dancers, all college students, performed at the Black Ball. One striking performance was by Community College of Rhode Island student Jackie Barros. Barros sang "Stand Up for Love" by Destiny's Child, the theme song for McDonald's World Children's Day in 2005. As Barros' powerful voice rang through the ballroom, a slideshow of children affected by AIDS and celebrities endorsing KCA was shown on the stage. Barros' performance ended with a standing ovation and a request from Montilla for students to help combat "this pandemic that is killing millions of children in Africa each year."
Before Barros sang, Harry Moore performed a spoken word piece about a young girl in Rhode Island who contracted AIDS, underscoring how the AIDS crisis has an effect everywhere. The URI Dance Company danced to "One" by U2 and Mary J. Blige. Manny X sang an original song "A Kiss Through Glass." Flava Unit danced to a medley of hip-hop songs. Two sets of partners from the URI Ballroom Dance Club performed standard and Latin dances.
Theo Martins and Jamie V. Ferguson were emcees for the night. They shared statistics about the AIDS crisis in Africa between performances. Martins and Ferguson informed attendees that a child dies of AIDS every minute, and that 76% of AIDS victims live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Jimmy Medina, Harry Rhau and Jimmy Derosiers were the house band for the night. Calling themselves "The Band," the group performed instrumentals while attendees dined on food from Ramaraya Restaurant. The audience watched a video slideshow about the global AIDS crisis set to music by U2. Bono, U2's lead singer, is a humanitarian and global AIDS activist. He was honored at KCA's annual Black Ball, held in New York City on Oct. 25.
When attendees entered the ballroom, they walked the red carpet, complete with paparazzi. A photographer from Eric R. Photo Studio was on hand to snap pictures.
KCA began with a chance encounter at an AIDS clinic in Mombasa, Kenya in 2002. According to the organization's website, Leigh Blake, an AIDS activist, was so touched by a woman's need for anti-retroviral drugs for her AIDS-infected son that she paid for the medication herself.
The national organization uses 100% of its public donations, minus a 3% credit card fee, to help children in Africa affected by AIDS. The money goes to providing anti-retroviral drugs and medical care to infected children, as well as orphanages for children whose parents died of AIDS. Singer Alicia Keys is KCA's global ambassador.