UPEI sociology students hold event on March 28 to raise funds to fight poverty

Sociology students at the University of Prince Edward Island are translating into action the lessons they are learning in the classroom.

On Friday, March 28, students in Professor David Varis' Sociology 102B course will host a kitchen party to raise awareness about poverty and funds to fight it. The party will be held in the courtyard of the W.A. Murphy Student Centre from 1 to 4 p.m.

Varis says that a number of students came up with the idea of contributing back to the community, after spending the last year learning about social inequality, poverty and other social issues in his introductory course.

"I am very proud of my students for organizing this awareness event," he says. "It reflects the degree to which students of this generation are responding to issues that are global in nature but require attention locally."

The event will feature guest speaker Mike MacDonald, manager of the Upper Room Soup Kitchen, as well as remarks from event co-ordinator Joan Diamond and entertainers Tim Chaisson, Tian Wigmore, David Wigmore & Friends, Jeremy Murphy and Colette Cheverie. Donations will be accepted at the door, and all proceeds will go to the Upper Room Soup Kitchen in Charlottetown.

For more information, please contact Joan Diamond at jdiamond@hollandc.pe.ca or (902) 629-4248.