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FOR AFRICA Benefit
The FOR AFRICA Benefit, a fundraising event held Nov. 1-3, 2007, at the Grace Street Theater, was a collaborative project of the VCU School of Social Work, School of the Arts, Peacework, Inc. and artists in the Richmond community.
The benefit was inspired by the experience of Chris Burnside, a dance professor for the School of the Arts, 
who traveled to Ghana on a School of Social Work service trip led by Randi Buerlein, assistant director of field instruction. Through an ongoing service project with a partner organization in Ghana, students and alumni have traveled to Ghana each January for the past five years to work with Sovereign Global Mission in their efforts to provide outreach and education for street children in Ghana. Participants have also assisted with building a child development center that will provide shelter and education for children in the city and the rural village where the center is housed.
The benefit event brought together students, faculty, performers and volunteers from the Richmond community in a creative undertaking that culminated in a benefit performance with nightly receptions and a silent auction of African crafts. A host of talented performers, including dancers from Richmond Public Schools Minds in Motions program, contributed to the event. Two VCU service-learning classes — Making a Difference I and II — were held in conjunction with the event and attracted a diverse group of students who learned about global and humanitarian issues, along with the skills of putting on a major fundraising production. The director of Sovereign Global Mission, Reverend Eric Annan, traveled from Ghana to attend the event and addressed the audience each night with words of appreciation for the opportunities made possible for children through the incredible success of the FOR AFRICA Benefit.
Get involved
To support this program or get involved as a volunteer, contact Randi Buerlein at rwbuerle@vcu.edu.