Plaza College’s “Life without Lupus”
By Asmaa Abbas
On Thursday, July 7, 2011, the Student Affairs Committee at Plaza College set up tables, prepared delicious meals, and decorated the Promenade to host one notable fundraising and awareness event for Lupus. Lupus is a disease that affects many people worldwide, including 1.5 million Americans. Not only were the members of the Student Affairs Committee eager to hold such an event, but many students, staff, and administrators participated as well.
It all started with meetings held by Professor Tortora, an outstanding and enthusiastic professor in the English department at Plaza. She is the Student Affairs’ Committee moderator as well. After discussing the upcoming event and setting up a schedule for it, the committee was ready to officially announce the launching of a Lupus fundraising event to the Plaza College family.
On the day of the event, all different types of food were being prepared on the tables. The food presented varied from healthy, delicious fruit salads and vegetable salads to sweet and tender fried chicken, nuggets, and, of course, rice and macaroni & cheese. This wouldn’t have been possible without the endless generosity of Plaza College’s students and staff, who brought in tasty desserts and patisseries.
Driven by the motto “Life without Lupus,” the event was held from 11:30 a.m. –to 6:00 p.m. Orange-colored bracelets and pens representing the Lupus foundation were distributed throughout the event to all participants and visitors who gladly joined us in the Promenade.
Then, at 12:00 p.m. came one of the most exciting periods of our event. In order to make the Lupus event not only a fundraiser, but also an educational opportunity for our medical assisting students, we invited Ms. Jessica Rowshandel, a representative from the SLE Lupus Foundation of New York. Her dynamic presentation helped students understand the causes, effects, and symptoms of Lupus, as well as the latest breakthroughs in Lupus research. The session intrigued many students, as many felt comfortable to share their stories with the rest of the group about their friends and loved ones who had once suffered from this disease.
By the end of the day we managed to raise $335 in total, but of course we couldn’t leave such an event without having students grabbing their cameras or cell phones and capturing some of the most joyful moments.