Frat hosts song, dance benefit for 3 charities

More than 13 student performing arts groups sang, danced and read poetry for a crowd of over 120 in last night's Sparksfest Coffeehouse, sponsored by the Psi Upsilon fraternity -- better known as the Castle. The event raised $2,900 to be divided between the American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity International and the Sparks Community Service Dance Company.

This was the second Sparksfest Coffeehouse of the year and featured performances by Excelano Project, Penn Jazz, Simply Chaos and an eclectic mix of a cappella and dance groups.

"We do this every semester -- we love it," College senior and Dischord member Susie Peterson said. "There's a good variety of groups."

Most in attendance seemed to enjoy the performances. "I thought it was a really good show," College sophomore Philip Gommels said. "This was my first time being in the Castle, but it's really a nice, intimate performance space."

Before the show began, the Castle had already raised $1,700 from raffle tickets featuring prizes such as tickets to a Philadelphia 76ers game, Britney Spears concert tickets and a variety of giveaways from local restaurants and stores. Raffle prizes were donated by local business owners.

"We'd really like to thank the local community and the Penn community for their support," College junior and Castle Philanthropy Chairman Amandeep Bhalla said. "One of the core values of our fraternity is to give back to the West Philadelphia community since our inception in 1891."

College sophomore Renee Pristas -- who is the community relations director, social chairwoman, co-publicity manager and alumni chairwoman of Sparks -- had another agenda for the evening.

"I'm doing this for my grandmother," she said. "She's in the hospital, and the American Red Cross has been vital in helping her out."

The only snafu in the evening occurred when the music suddenly stopped near the end of the Pan-Asian Dance Troupe's performance. "Apparently, someone tripped on the cord," College senior and troupe member Jennifer Hsu said. "What can you do? We had a good time."

Last semester's Sparksfest was co-sponsored by Sparks, which declined to co-sponsor this event due to a scheduling conflict.

The amount of funds raised was less than expected, but Bhalla called the event "a major success."

"We are trying to have more and more philanthropy events," he added.

Overall, the event left a good mark on observers and performers. "Playing at the coffeehouse in front of so many people relaxes my mind after a hard day's work," College sophomore and Penn Jazz trumpeter Sam Rothberg-Pimsle said as he wiped his brow. "All the groups feed off each other's energy, and it's a spectacle to behold."

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