Community Connectors at Ohio State to raise money for Community Refugee & Immigration Services through March Madness events. Credit: Courtesy of Arushi Paul
Ohio State students are bringing the arts community together for the March Kindness Showcase, an event aimed at supporting Columbus’ New American youth, this weekend.
Community Refugee & Immigration Services, a Columbus-based nonprofit, works to assist the city’s New American, immigrant and refugee populations. One of its key programs, CRIS Community Connectors, serves as “a mentoring network that supports New American students aged 5-24,” according to its website.
To help support Columbus’ new American youth and their families, CRIS Community Connectors at Ohio State — the university organization affiliated with the larger CRIS nonprofit — will host its March Kindness Showcase Sunday. The cultural event will feature performances from Ohio State dance, music and comedy organizations, taking place from 7-9 p.m. in the Ohio Union’s Great Hall Meeting Room.
According to the event’s Zeffy listing, all proceeds from ticket sales and donations will go directly toward providing essential resources for New American families, including food, rent assistance, warm winter clothing, hygiene products and school supplies.
Jeremy Hollon, associate director of community partnerships at CRIS, said “New Americans” is a broad term the organization uses to help combat negative connotations associated with immigration, serving as an alternative to terms like “undocumented” or “alien.”
Generally, Hollon said “New Americans” refers to individuals who have recently arrived to the United States, though CRIS chooses to maintain a highly inclusive and open approach.
“We do have students who are born here; we do have students whose English is their primary language; we do have students who have arrived last week,” Hollon said. “We really just want to be that support to what we refer to as the New American community.”
Hollon said, ultimately, the goal is to support those in need, regardless of whether they are refugees, immigrants or otherwise.
“We don’t have a specific type of student we serve because anyone can be part of it,” Hollon said. “You don’t have to be a refugee. You don’t have to be an immigrant. We want to support humans, and we want that respect of having a name without feeling lumped up into a word or group.”
Surekha Garapati, a third-year in biology and co-president of CCOSU, said the Ohio State branch offers supplemental opportunities for those who might not have enough free time to mentor — or for those who already mentor and want to do more — to support New American communities
“Not everyone can be a mentor, but people really do want to give back to New American communities in a tangible manner,” Garapati said. “So, the student organization was created to essentially recruit mentors on Ohio State’s campus, but also fundraise, do outreach, spread awareness of New American communities and do service events to gain donations for the Community Connectors.”
Juliana Gutierrez, a third-year in political science and co-president of CCOSU, said Sunday’s showcase is part of a larger month-long initiative called March Kindness — modeled after March Madness — with events held throughout the month to maximize fundraising efforts for New American families. She said the end goal is to raise $10,000 for CRIS Community Connectors.
“It will all be completely unrestricted funding. Zero percent of it goes to overhead costs, so it goes 100% back to the communities,” Gutierrez said. “For us, what makes it so appealing is that you are making an impact, and it’s direct, and it’s local and it is for communities that really, really need it.”
In addition, Garapati said a GoFundMe is available for those who cannot attend events in person but still wish to contribute, as well as for any attendees who want to make an extra donation.
Gutierrez said the showcase will feature performances from various student groups, including the Vietnamese Student Association, which will perform a traditional fan dance; the Buckeye Stand Up Comedy Club; Ohio State of Mind, an all-gender a cappella group; OSU Origins, an all-boys Indian fusion dance team; Majors & Minors, a coed competitive a cappella group; and Dance of the Soul, a traditional Chinese dance organization.
Gutierrez said the team that garners the most attendees at the event will receive a $200 cash prize, serving as an incentive to encourage greater participation in the showcase.
“By bringing together all of these different organizations, the goal is to bring traction from groups to attract a lot of different people,” Gutierrez said. “We are just bridging gaps and showing that groups who may have nothing to do with one another can come together behind a really great cause.”
Garapati said CCOSU places special emphasis on college students contributing to their local communities. Since Ohio State is home to many advocacy, activism and service groups, she said supporting those in need within the community is an essential mission for many students on campus.
“Ohio State campus has a lot of potential and currently does have a lot of activism and advocacy occurring,” Garapati said. “I think CCOSU is the conduit to making a local community change.”
Tickets to the March Kindness Showcase can be purchased via the Zeffy listing for a discounted price of $8 until Sunday. Attendees who do not purchase tickets online can still attend, though they must buy tickets at the door for $10.
For more information about CRIS Community Connectors, visit the nonprofit’s website.
