FREDONIA, N.Y. — December 1, 2008 — A benefit for children orphaned by AIDS in Malawi, a sub-Saharan country in Africa, will be staged by Orchesis Dance Company on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., in Dods Gym on the SUNY Fredonia campus.
 Children's Home in Malawi |
The student dance troupe is sponsoring the event to support the annual Chautauqua County AIDS Walk that STEPS (Students Teaching Equals Positive Sexuality), another student organization on campus, will hold Saturday, Dec. 6.
“Our concert had already passed, and we wanted to continue dancing, so we decided to work with STEPS and do a benefit to raise extra money for the AIDS walk,” said Daniel Longo, a member of Orchesis.
Proceeds will be sent to the Malawi Children’s Village Foundation, an organization that cares for children whose parents have died from HIV/AIDS, Mr. Longo said.
Several other student organizations are also contributing to the program, including Boosting Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students (BACCHUS), Student Opera Theatre Association (SOTA), Safe Zone and the Pride Alliance. Performances are scheduled by the popular female singing group Some Like It Hot in addition to Orchesis, who will present two dances from its October concert.
Facts and statistics about AIDS will be recited between performances by members of STEPS and other student groups.
A variety of games and prize giveaways will help create a casual carnival-like atmosphere and raise additional money, said Mr. Longo, an exercise science major from Long Island. Members of BACCHUS, SOTA and the Pride Alliance will operate these attractions. The Buster Brown Bean Company Café will donate a portion of refreshment sales to the effort, he added, and information on the AIDS walk will also be available.
Tickets, at $2, are available at the Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center, online at www.fredonia.edu/tickets and at the door as well.
