This year’s proceeds to go to Wisconsin Humane Society
There’s only one issue in advance of Marquette’s Filipino student organization’s annual fall fashion show Saturday: It occurs the same night Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao fights Miguel Cotto in a boxing match.
Otherwise, things are going according to plan leading up to one of Marquette’s largest student-run fundraisers. The Bayanihan Student Organization will host its 13th annual show, titled “Lucky 13,” Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union ballrooms.
The organization promotes, educates and celebrates the Filipino culture both on campus and in the Milwaukee community. The word Bayanihan itself means “working together to achieve a common goal.”
The show features a number of dance, non-dance and fashion segments, and this year is raising money for the Wisconsin Humane Society, a nonprofit organization that builds a community to value animals and treat them with respect and kindness, according to WHS volunteer Patti Vollmer.
In the last couple weeks, the Bayanihan Student Organization has already raised $1,500 in donations, according to Nick Roberts, a senior in the College of Communication and the organization’s media relations representative.
Roberts also said he will update the organization’s Twitter and Facebook pages during the event with notes and pictures for those unable to attend (and potentially post updates from the Pacquiao fight).
Irish Diwa, a senior in the College of Communication, is one of three event coordinators. She has participated in the event all four years at Marquette and said this year’s has the widest range of segments.
“It’s the most diverse show we’ve ever had,” Diwa said. “It’s not a whole lot about fashion as much as it is a program with different people.”
A page of the program will be dedicated to Brooke Peters, who passed away this summer. Peters would have been a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, and participated in the formal wear segment of last year’s show.
Diwa and co-coordinators Noelle Papilla, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, and Alana Wauneka, a senior in the College of Business Adminstration, started sending out letters to businesses, faculty members and prospective participants in May.
Members of the Bayanihan Student Organization rehearse Wednesday night for the organization's upcoming fall fashion show.
Diwa said said she expects about 500 people to attend, including the 100 participants. She said in the last three years, the event has sold out and raised at least $5,000. This year, the target is $8,000 in donations.
Members of the organization toured the Humane Society last Saturday and saw firsthand what they are supporting. Vollmer explained some of the society’s goals.
She said volunteers spend countless hours helping the wide range of animals that come in, and stay until they are adopted. She added that the society runs entirely on donations, with no tax dollar funding required.
Kara Tamayao, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, will choreograph one of the segments. She said seeing the animals and mission of the Humane Society in person helped her realize the impact donors make.
“It’s amazing to see how well-established this place is, and to see how much volunteer work and donations can make it profound,” she said.
