Bigger Hearts, Bigger Talents Helps Send Children to Camp
Lauren DeGeorge (COM’08) and other members of the BU chapter of Students for Camp Heartland showed Bigger Hearts, Bigger Talents at their most successful fundraiser of the year. Their November 15 concert raised $750 to support Camp Heartland, a camp for children affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as those facing poverty, grief, and other significant life challenges.
The benefit concert, a sequel to last year’s Big Hearts, Big Talents, which raised $1,000, featured nine student performances: the slam-poetry group Speak for Yourself, the a cappella groups the Dear Abbeys, In Achord, Chordially Yours, the Vibes, and the Treblemakers, the musical theater group On Broadway, the Irish step dancing group Step About Boston, and BU’s Funniest Student, Damon Davidson (CAS’07). Admission to be entertained by talented BU students was $5.
“We were a little disappointed that we didn’t raise as much as last year, but we still had a really good time,” DeGeorge says. “It will go to send kids to camp who wouldn’t have had the chance otherwise.”
Most children infected or affected by AIDS or HIV cannot afford to go to summer camp. Camp Heartland, whose programs and services are provided free of charge to all participants, is a national nonprofit that welcomes children from 40 different states to camps in California, New York, and Minnesota. It depends on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The $750 raised by Students for Camp Heartland can feed a cabin of eight campers during a weeklong summer camp session, and help stock the infirmary with medical supplies, according to Camp Heartland.
As a member of the slam-poetry group Speak for Yourself, DeGeorge performed at the event in a special slam-poem tribute to children who attend Camp Heartland. Each poet took on a different role — two acted as young children, one as a camp counselor, and one was a concerned adult. The piece brought many audience members to tears, DeGeorge says.
To find out how to donate to Camp Heartland, e-mail the BU chapter of Students for Camp Heartland at buheart@bu.edu.
Rebecca McNamara can be reached at ramc@bu.edu.