University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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At Kids ' Fair, Laurie, a student from Dicken Elementary, creates a delicious art piece out of candy at one of the many tables run by University organizations. Children had an opportunity to meet their pen pals at this event and make tons of different crafts throughout the day. . Neff photo Servinglfe nmunity s l he Detroit Project promoted community service and volunteer work by providing students with opportunities to get involved both on and off campus. Hundreds of University students participated in the organizations biggest event, Detroit Project (DP) Day, which took place primarily in the northwest community of Detroit, Brightmoor, on March 29 th , 2003. Early that Saturday morning, students loaded themselves onto school buses headed toward Detroit for a full day of work. The annual event also included help from students from Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University and various other regional colleges. Over the course of the day, students assisted with wide range of volunteer work in the area. Students ran science fairs, planted trees, cleaned vacant lots, tore down abandoned structures, and most importantly interacted with the people in the community, said Janna Burrell, a senior in the School of Engineering and co-dire ctor of the DP major events. Perhaps one of the best parts of the experience was the wonderful lasting impression that the volunteers had on the citizens of Detroit after their efforts and involvement. DP Day was an important step to bringing Detroit back to its original vibrancy and beauty. A r , I I ordes of children and adults filled the Crisler Arena in late March in anticipation - v of Kids ' Fair 2003, the theme for which was A Smile in Time . The exuberant crowd consisted of over 1,000 elementary students, 1,000 University students, and a couple hundred adults. Kids ' Fair was the highlight for participants in K-grams, as it allowed most of the participating elementary school students to meet their University pen-pals. Although some University students were unable to attend, Kids-Fair allowed students who did not participate in K-grams to become Kids-Fair buddies, which alleviated the problem of missing pen-pals. Andrea Visintainer, a sophomore in the LSA and a participant in the BookMARK program, enjoyed the time spent at Kids Fair; I found the Kids Fair to be a great opportunity for children to meet interact with the college students that they communicated with throughout the semester. I thought the cultural games were interesting and could tell the student I was with enjoyed them as well . Hundreds of University student organizations set up booths to enhance the kids ' experiences at the fair. The booths offered both entertaining and educational activities ranging from decorating cookies to creating rocketships out of toilet roles. Special to this year ' s fair was a dance competition during lunch among the elementary school teachers. The music selection for the dance-off, ranging from 50 Cent to Britney Spears, elicited smiles amongst the crowd. According to LSA junior Christine Bergeon, the director of Kids Fair, [we] invite the entire University community to come help us in putting smiles on a bunch of elementary school kids ' faces. 120 Special Events

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Melissa Casey, a senior business administration major and an assistant coordinator of the show, gives a welcoming address. The show ' s theme of the same, yet different... captured its display of the common thread shared by the diverse cultures of Latin America. Tedjasukmana photo The Ballet Folklorico, as performed by these dancers, represents in a traditional way the roots of the different regions and Indian tribes, such as the A ztecs, theTarascos.and the Seminomads. The art of dance was not only an expression of religious beliefs, but also one of their daily lives. Tedjasukmana photo ' ' l l he Same, Yet Different... the theme for the Latino Culture Show 2003 envisioned by the core was very fitting. The show, which was performed on March 29, united the Latino community and created a place to display pride in their culture just as it did at its creation in the winter term of 2000. At the same time, in only its third year running, the show had grown tremendously in participation and audience, and displayed an amazing array of cultures within Latin America. The Latino Culture Show involved a large group of participants and a mix of musical and dance performances, acts, and videos, filling up the main floor and balcony of the Michigan League ' s Mendelssohn Theater. The theme of The Same, Yet Different or No es lo mismo, pero es igual in Spanish guided the show ' s planning process. We tried to have all performances go along with the theme. I think we did a good job of portraying different cultural aspects of Latin America, said Ricardo Ramos, an LSA junior who coordinated the show with Business School senior Melissa Casey. We started the show with indigenous roots and heritage with an Aztec dance. Following that, we had a Flamenco performance, demonstrating our Spanish heritage. Then we just tried to display as many countries ' cultures as we could. We had a traditional sing and dance from Puerto Rico, Salsa from the Caribbean, Merengue from the Dominican Republic, and Capoella, Brazilian Martial Arts mixed with dance. Of course, we weren ' t able to fit in everything. I would have liked to see an Argentine Tango group, for example. Despite the three-month preparation period for the big day, many of the participants of the show found the experience to be amazing. I really enjoyed the experience. We had a really good connection in my dance group; we were able to help decide what the dance would be like too. My favorite part was the actual performance. Although M Salsa was a hard act to follow, the audience was still really excited to see us, said Kathleen Kirkland, an LSA sophomore and a participant in the Merengue act. For the grand finale, audience members were picked from the floor onto the stage to dance with the participants. It would be difficult for the Latino culture show to include cultural aspects from all the countries in Latin America, because of the diversity within Latino culture. The show, however, was able to successfully demonstrate the common thread shared by different cultures, while exhibiting their colorful differences at the same time. Culture Shows 119

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Two students work together to plant a tree in the neighborhood of Brightmoor, outside of Detroit. Tasks for the project included everything from landscaping and roofing to demolition. Photo courtesy ofj. Gletcher Students dance to the music of the line dance during Dance Marathon. Throughout the 30 hours, dancers continuously added on to the dance, giving everyone a chance to let loose and keep their minds off of the time. J. Neff photo Making Ki Blue Style or two days in March, a multitude of students could be found at the Indoor Track and Field Building. Standing on their feet for 30 hours in a tired and ragged state, these students showed their support for the children that brought them there. Over 3,000 dancers, moralers, sponsors, and visitors were there to make this event one of the biggest and most successful philanthropy events on campus. Dance Marathon brought thousands of students togethe r for one purpose: to raise money for physical and occupational rehabilitation programs. Throughout the semester, students traveled around campus trying different ways to raise money. Events ranged from bottle drives, a charity ball, skating nights at Yost, and canning outside of athletic events, just to name a few. Dance Marathon culminated with one big event, which demonstrated the students ' enthusiasm and care for the children they sponsored. Throughout the hours, students participated in arts and crafts, games, and the line dance-short dances that were learned and combined together to form one huge performance. Students also studied for upcoming exams and had meals multiple times throughout the marathon. Students were able to participate in many aspects of Dance Marathon. Besides being a dancer, there were also opportunities to help with marketing, finance, morale, food donations, and more. The groups worked together to make the event a success, raising over $197,000. At the end of the event, the looks on the faces of the families that were sponsored stuck true to the organizations motto: Making Kids Smile, Maize and Blue Style. Community Outreach 121