Giving Back to Africa raises funds

African clothes were auctioned off and musicians performed Middle Eastern music at the Giving Back to Africa fundraising gala Thursday night at Fields Clubhouse.

The event’s topic was “Continue the Story,” which gave attendees the opportunity to help raise money for the group’s cause and program through a silent auction and donations.

GBA is a Bloomington-based, nonprofit organization which was founded seven years ago by Dr. Louis Calli, Jr., a Bloomington cardiologist.

GBA partnered with Congolese educational institutions and non-governmental organizations with the goal to empower GBA beneficiaries, through service-centered education, to become servant-leaders capable of taking control of their own lives while serving as change agents in their local communities and throughout the nation, according to the group’s website.

Calli, president of GBA, said the idea for the organization came from his wife, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

After participating in numerous mission trips to Africa, they created GBA in order to give back from outside the DRC.

One of the events throughout the evening was the silent auction, which gave attendees the opportunity to donate to GBA and acquire items from Africa.

“I think this is one of the best silent auctions Bloomington has to offer,” Calli said. “It’s very unique and has a lot of really great things.”

Auction items included tickets to six different upcoming IU basketball games, but also featured items that correlated with African culture, including artwork and handcrafted pieces portraying different African themes and men’s and women’s clothing handsown out of fabric bought in the DRC.

Jessica Quirk, a graduate from the IU Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, helped organize the clothes and said the fabric used to make the clothes was originally bought at a market in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC.

“We took pictures of clothing designs and styles we liked,” Quirk said. “A tailor from Kinshasa helped us design the different outfits.”

Throughout the night, guests also enjoyed the sounds of Middle Eastern music by local music group Salaam.

The fundraiser is currently GBA’s main event for the year, but Calli said the organization plans on having a spring breakfast fundraiser in the upcoming year.

“There’s also a Giving Back to Africa IU student association for IU students to become more informed,” Calli said.

Follow events and culture reporter Brett Frieman on Twitter @brttfrmn.