Benefit for earthquake victims

Queens College students planned an evening of Asian art, music, martial arts and cuisine to benefit victims of the China earthquake.
The event will be held Friday, June 13, from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at the college’s LeFrak Concert Hall, where tickets will be available for $15 starting at 5 p.m. All proceeds will go to the Tzu Chi Foundation to support relief efforts.
Impressed by Tzu Chi’s work, the Model United Nations Club at Queens College studied their approach. “We were inspired by their immediate response,” said Dewan Tarek, president of Model UN. “As citizens of the Queens College community and the global community, we felt a moral obligation to also assist the victims.”
An art show and silent auction will include donations by local artists and independent curators who were contacted by Model UN club members through the auspices of Asia Society.
The Tzu Chi Foundation will make a presentation, followed by a martial arts demonstration by monks from the Shaolin Temple in Flushing. The acclaimed chamber ensemble “Music from China” will play a blend of traditional and contemporary music and local gourmet restaurant Happy Buddha will cater.
“We take great pride in the initiative of these young people in planning this humanitarian event,” said Queens College President James L. Muyskens, who will speak at the event.
“Throughout the school’s history, our students have embodied the college motto, ‘We learn so that we may serve.’ As part of the rich tapestry of cultures and religions that co-exist on campus - located in the most ethnically diverse borough in the nation - this current group of young women and men organizers are true model members of the United Nations as they interact across cultures and religions to assist those in need.”
The event is sponsored by the Model United Nations Club at Queens College, the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President for Institutional Development, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and the Chinese Students Association. Donations may be made beyond the event by contacting event organizer Dewan Tarek at 646-344-2232.