The keynote speaker at the event is IU First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie.
“Usually the students plan fictitious events, but this year I had the opportunity to work on a real event, so we used the students to help plan and execute this fundraiser for My Sister’s Closet,” said Professor David Smiley, coordinator of the course.
He said students chose their own groups from topics such as marketing, sponsorship and the event’s theme and program.
Junior tourism, hospitality and event management student Sarah Gaither said she works with the marketing group.
“It has been very exciting being apart of the planning process so far,” she said. “Our teacher has made the planning process very fun and has offered us a lot of guidance to make it a smooth process.”
Samantha Schoolman, a junior majoring in tourism, hospitality and event management, said she has been working on the sponsorship committee.
She said the most challenging part of planning the gala was how overwhelming and intimidating it was at the beginning, but these fears were quickly put to rest.
“After being so nervous in the beginning, it was great to see local businesses eager to show their support,” she said.
Chelsea Leach, a junior studying tourism, hospitality and event management, said the class was required for her major, but she would encourage all students to consider taking the class.
“When I started this course, I had no experience with event planning, but now I have a large respect for the entire process and I have a better idea of what planning an event entails,” she said.
Leach said she hopes the gala brings awareness of My Sister’s Closet to the Bloomington community. She said it is an excellent organization that provides women with professional tools.
“Being a student that goes to school full-time and also keeps a job, I don’t always have the time I would like to volunteer in my community, so it means a lot to me that I was able to give back to the community while learning skills I need later in life,” Schoolman said.
Smiley said the idea of the fundraiser was to promote the organization’s profile even higher in the community and to introduce people unfamiliar with My Sister’s Closet to the organization. He said, as a board member for My Sister’s Closet, the event holds a great deal of personal significance to him.
“I’m able to help the organization put on this gala, and I want to do similar things with this class in the future,” Smiley said. “I think it is much more beneficial to the students to work on a real event rather than a fictitious one.”
My Sister’s Closet is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to building a stronger community by providing women with professional support services and tools to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency by providing free professional clothing and interview preparation ?workshops.
“As a female, I think it is very important that My Sister’s Closet exists to empower those females in our community and to help them get started in their careers of choice,” Gaither said.
Tickets to the gala are $40 and can be purchased at My Sister’s Closet.
