When a philanthropy event advertised as the “biggest party oncampus” gives away free trips to San Diego, New York, Orlando,Fla., and Las Vegas, it’s easy to forget its charitablemotives.
But Youth Organizations Umbrella, located just a few blocks fromcampus, provides a nearby reminder of Suitcase Party’s fundamentalpurpose.
“Because it has ‘party’ in the name, (Suitcase Party) isimmediately dismissed as something for the college students, whenin reality we’re a philanthropy working for someone else,” saidLouis Levine, Suitcase Party outreach co-chairman.
“I hope people understand that their money is going toward agreat cause, because I know that’s why all of us on Suitcase Partycommittees are doing this,” he added.
YOU is an outreach program that provides guidance and supportfor youth in local middle schools.
Through efforts such as after-school interest groups, mentoring,crisis intervention and community networking, YOU aims to provideyoung people with the skills and self-confidence they need toactively participate in the community.
Since the beginning of Fall Quarter, the 10 volunteers on theSuitcase Party outreach committee have mentored students every weekat Chute Middle School and Nichols Middle School in Evanston.
“It was a little intimidating at first, just because we’re sofar detached from middle school,” said Levine, a Weinbergsophomore. “It’s tough when we’re these big college kids coming inand (being) given authority over them. But we were able to buildrelationships on things we had in comMonday, like music andgames.”
Last January outreach co-chairpersons Levine and Weinbergsophomore Emily Farber planned a Winter Wonderland dance for theYOU kids and the Suitcase Party executive board. The two groupsbonded over food, games and dancing.
“In the eyes of our kids, the college students are what theywant to be,” said Don Baker, executive director of YOU. “They’reimportant role models, and they end up forming greatconnections.”
Suitcase Party hopes to raise about $20,000 for YOU, said CarlosGuzman, a Weinberg junior who serves as executive public relationschairman. He said this year’s executive board sought a smallercharity within the community that would “really benefit” fromSuitcase Party’s efforts.
According to Tonya Patterson, YOU’s volunteer coordinator, themoney donated by Suitcase Party will be used for Campaign forYouth, a new initiative to help ease the participants’ transitioninto high school.
Both Patterson and Baker said they’ve noticed NU volunteers’impact on the kids at YOU.
“We’ve had the best group of volunteers this year,” Baker said.”We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from the teachers and principals atthe two schools, and they say the kids are really thriving. Theycan see a difference.”
Baker said the group has been able to work with more kidsbecause of the increase in committed volunteers.
At its core Suitcase Party isn’t about enticing trips andprizes, Levine said. He said the focus is on the hundreds of hoursNU students spend mentoring underprivileged kids.
“The best part has been bridging the gap between us, as collegestudents, and these kids, who are in a very impressionable phase,”Levine said. “We have this direct link with them. It’s not just anidea — (these kids are) who we’re working for.”
