by Brooke Winters
On Tuesday, March 4, the Drew Honduras Project (DHP) hosted a dinner and auction event in Crawford Hall to help raise funds for their volunteer projects in the Dominican Republic. Many Drewids attended the event for the cost of $5 to support DHP and enjoy the catering from Chipotle.
The Drew Honduras Project was founded in 1995. After a travel warning against Honduras was put into effect in 2013, the students decided to turn their volunteering efforts toward the Dominican Republic. The student run organization aims to “aid children’s homes in the form of funds, clothing, educational and medical supplies, and labor,” according to their Project Statement, as well as give Drew students a chance to expand their hands-on educational experience. Every semester, DHP has an event to help raise funds to cover the expenses of their trip. This year, they decided to combine their dinner and auction into one engaging event.
Some Drew students came for the food while others were motivated by the auction. Mimi Kagabo (‘19) said, “My friend Precious Martinez asked me to come and sold me the ticket. I came for the auction, which interested me.”
Adi Odunton (’17) added, “I love Chipotle and I thought If I was giving five dollars for Chipotle for a good cause, I wanted to come.”
After students enjoyed their dinner, DHP began the auction. Among the items up for grabs included gift bags sponsored by local businesses, such as a beauty goodie bag from La La Land and a food oriented package from Healthy Italia. Members of DHP also put together baskets up for sale, which included a movie night package and a yoga set. The most anticipated item of the night was a sophomore parking pass. The starting price was $100, yet by the end of the bidding war it went for $262 to a lucky rising sophomore.
One of the leaders of DHP, Imelda Reimer (‘19) explained DHP’s purpose and what the funds they raised help them accomplish. She said, “We had this auction and dinner to cover the cost of the trip and buy the girls items. Members pay a certain amount but it doesn’t cover everything. We donate to the orphanage, we also donate to the two places we went to in Honduras, El Hogar (in Tegucigalpa) and paramedics for children (Copan). The funds help cover items for the girls as well as helping fund repairs to the children’s home.”
The event raised a total of $1,503 for the program.
