Coffee for cancer

With Relay For Life approaching, Read Residence Center students found a fun and creative way to raise money for their residence hall’s relay team.

The Coffeehouse for Cancer Research, a relay fundraiser and talent show featuring various student performers, will take place at 8 p.m. today in the hall’s main lobby.
Freshman Deanna Allbrittin, the event coordinator, said the show will feature many types of student performers, including singers, piano players, bands, comedians and even a ukulele player.

“We have students performing from Read, Willkie and Forest,” she said. “The performers involved are doing a great thing for cancer research.”

The event is free and open to the public. Coffee and lemonade will also be free, but baked goods and desserts will be sold and donations will be accepted.

Some of the scheduled acts include the “Hoos on First” comedy troupe and local band “Eyes of the Prophet.” Freshman Rachel Schoenian, captain of the Relay for Life team sponsored by the Read Hutton Honors Council, said this event highlights the talent Read has to offer.

“Read is known as the music dorm, and there’s a lot of talented people in it,” Schoenian said. “There’s also a lot of people that appreciate that talent.”

Allbrittin and Schoenian are both part of the same team. The honors council plans academic and social events at Read throughout the school year and the show is their main philanthropy for the year.

When the team was created a few months ago, Allbrittin said she extended the invitation to other students living in Read. Since then, the team of 20 has raised about $1,015 toward the cause.

“Relay for Life is very near and dear to my heart,” she said. “We want to raise awareness to show support for Relay and cancer survivors, even if people decide to come for the whole Relay ceremony or not.”

Allbrittin said she has gone door-to-door selling luminarias, illuminated bags used during the Relay for Life ceremony, as well as asking for donations. She said she hopes the show will raise even more money.

“It’s really been the students in Read helping and donating a lot,” she said. “Coffeehouse will help raise even more money and awareness.”

Sophomore and Read resident Erica Preusz said she feels the Coffeehouse is a great way to raise money while involving the Read community.

“There are a lot of music students here and funding for Relay is hard,” she said. “Finding things like this that really interest people will work well, and it’s always fun to watch people perform.”