Nursing ball raises funds for HIV/AIDS victims

As the School of Nursing continues to tackle inequality among its student population, some students are contributing to the effort to bridge the gap between minorities and the rest of the Penn community.

The Minorities in Nursing Organization, which was founded in 2001, has been working to create a dialogue between students on issues in healthcare while providing a support system for minorities in the nursing profession.

“Specifically, the organization creates a forum for discussion about culture and its importance to nursing practice,” Nursing professor and MNO faculty adviser Barbra Wall wrote in an email. “The students also are committed to community service and providing social and academic support to its members.”

This past Friday, MNO hosted the fifth-annual Red and White Ball. The ball is held to raise money for a charity chosen by the MNO board.

This year, the ball was held in Houston Hall and collected funds for Philadelphia’s Haven Youth Center.

The Haven Youth Center, which was selected in the spring as the organization to receive a donation, supports Philadelphia youth afflicted with HIV and AIDS.

William Brawner, the center’s founder and executive director, was chosen as the keynote speaker at the event. Alongside Brawner, a local high-school student also spoke about her involvement with Haven Youth Center, since her senior project involved screening local youth for HIV and AIDS.

MNO’s primary focus is to target causes that help those who may be dealing with serious or underrepresented medical conditions, explained Nursing junior and MNO Secretary Gabriella Kim.

“We hope to get more involved with [the Haven Youth Center] and the community, and we’re really excited about that,” Kim said.

In order to raise money for the center, MNO sold tickets to the event and hosted a number of bake sales beforehand. The group also accepted donations and held a raffle at the ball.

Among the items raffled were a $5,000 personal portrait and a gift card to Barnes and Noble bookstore.

“I think we had a great turnout,” Nursing Junior and MNO President Candace Freeman said. “I think we will be able to make a substantial donation to the Center.”

Next year, MNO hopes to see a larger student turnout for the event, since most of the attendees came from Penn’s faculty.

“Getting more students involved would be great,” Freeman said.

This spring, MNO will be looking for a new charity to receive a donation and is “always open to anyone who wants his or her cause to be supported,” Kim said.

Even though MNO works to lessen the divide between minorities and the rest of the student body, it still realizes that there is more work to be done.

While Kim said the issue of inequality among minorities is getting better each year, she maintained that “you can see that minorities don’t have as big of a presence.”

SEE ALSO

Gallery: Red and White Ball 2011

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