By Khadija Jamal
ÔÇÿAwesome eventÔǪHasnÔÇÖt been this buzzing for a while! Congrats to the hard-working individuals who made the evening rock.ÔÇÖ ÔÇô on Twitter: an ex Isoc President from many moons ago, upon attending the Eid Extravaganza event 2012.
ÔÇÿBuzzingÔÇÖ was how it was described. ÔÇÿThereÔÇÖs just like this bubbling atmosphere,ÔÇÖ one young lady told me, who a number of years ago had held the same position as my own in the Islamic Society committee. ÔÇÿIt feels like old times.ÔÇÖ She was met with a chorus of agreement.
Jewellery and clothing adorned stall holderÔÇÖs tables. Canvases with funky calligraphy outlined in glitter stood upon display whilst smaller versions of such artistic handwriting were given out upon pieces of card, in the names of those requested. A couple, both professional photographers, clicked away at their cameras in the corner at their own designated booth. Coloured strips of orange and blue lay neatly upon round table tops, covered in silver confetti and floral centrepieces. As volunteers hopped from one centrepiece to the next with their finishing touches, students began to steadily trickle through the door, to be greeted by intensely strong coffee from the Arab Society coupled with rich sweets from the Ahlul Bayt Society.
It was the Wednesday evening of Charity Week, 29th October to 4th November; the Islamic SocietyÔÇÖs annual week long campaign of back to back fundraising events. This particular event, a dinner with over 200 guests, was something different to the normal arrangements. For the first time, different societies had come together with great celebratory purposes; the Muslim religious festival of Eid had passed only a few days earlier and all were still very much happy to carry on with the festivities. Across cultures, backgrounds and races; it was an event in celebration of diversity as well as unity. A member of the Malaysian Society performed a traditional martial arts routine on stage. On screen, different individuals spoke a range of languages with the English translation displayed alongside such that each video clip came together as one message about charity giving. Over ┬ú7000 was raised that one night alone; from donations, auction bidding and ticket profits. That figure is still rising.
Unashamedly, IÔÇÖve painted a picturesque scene for that is what I would like to remember the events by, but of course it wasnÔÇÖt perfect. There were moments when frustration, tiredness and worry built up to the extent that strangling a cumbersome colleague seemed like a great form of stress relief. Without a shadow of a doubt, I know others must have felt the same way about me but I dare not ask. Midnight Skype meetings and endless texting (reminders to other committee members, publicising events to members, more reminders, and some more reminders) became the norm as sleep went out of the window. I was repeatedly rather pleased at being able to answer any of the questions asked by my tutor on placement given the circumstances. The fact that the other students had just the same tendency to nod off as I did is another discussion.
Over 50 volunteers arrived at our initial volunteers meeting, with many others dropping in to help with various events throughout the week. Cake stalls were set up on various points on campus and a rather interesting chilli eating contest and cinnamon challenge was posed to passer-bys. Silly challenges also embraced the girls only Pamper Night, where contestants struggled in trying to eat pieces of chocolate with a knife and fork, whilst others donated towards manicures, facials and henna. Dressed with the official Charity Week T-shirts or in a teddy bear costume, volunteers also headed towards the city centre on multiple days for street collections; another highlight of the week.
On reflection, the success of such a project as this does not come in a numerical value. It does not lie in the number of pounds that were raised nor in the number of people who attended the events. ÔÇÿBuzzingÔÇÖ was how it was described, and such an atmosphere is only created when people collectively put time, effort and hard work for a cause, without themselves having the need to be applauded nor recognised. I was repeatedly and frequently humbled by the level of commitment that was given by individuals, both from the committee members of different societies as well as volunteers. Such efforts are something that this community of students are to be proud of, representing a beautiful aspect of a religion so easily misunderstood in modern society.
All money raised is to be given to the Islamic Relief Charity Week project ÔÇô for funding projects with orphans and needy children around the world.
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