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In an effort to highlight the effects and implications of recent tragedies in Pakistan, the club will feature student bands, activities and food at the event. So far, the floods have displaced approximately 20 million people, according to an article by The New York Times.
“The point of the event is to raise awareness for the recent tragedies in Pakistan,” Gavrielov said. “Our club feels that it has not been getting enough media attention.”
“Paly students can stay after school and enjoy the music, food and events,” Gavrielov continued. “They should definitely research the floods and see how they can help. I would recommend looking at the websites of organizations such as Oxfam, Save the Children and the Red Cross.”
The event will feature live performances from Paly student bands, including The Aisling Project, Thanks For Asking, Idea Machine and possibly Tricky Zipper, according to ADR co-president Jake Stern.
Junior Jake Vertin, a singer and guitarist of The Aisling Project, hopes to see Paly students out on the quad supporting the event.
“Paly students should come and support us and the local music scene as a whole,” Vertin said. “By participating in this local event, they will become aware of the problems in Pakistan and support the cause.”
Stern started working with ADR at Paly after volunteering in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
“I started ADR after working in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans in the summer of 2008, and this past summer I went back down to an organization, [when] we donated $1000 to a reconstruction organization called Common Ground Relief,” Stern said. “ADR is a student-run club that raises awareness for natural disasters and that helps the local community prepare for emergencies.”
Stern says he wants to motivate Paly students to action not only for the recent Pakistan flooding but also for future disasters in general.
“In my experience, I have noticed that many people don’t realize the importance of recognizing the struggles that people around the world face after disasters, and [they] never make an effort to reach out to them,” Stern said. “We want to connect students to the crisis and promote a greater feeling of student responsibility. To me, the Oct. 7 show is important because it promotes a connection and global perspective that is essential for creating positive change.”
There are many ways for students to get more involved with the club.
“Students can get involved by either emailing [email protected], or coming to a meeting this Friday in P8 during lunch,” Stern said.
ADR had a very successful club day last Friday, according to Stern.
“We have found that a lot of people at Paly have an interest in disaster preparedness and relief, and [we] got about 140 interested volunteers last Friday,” Stern said.
The club does a variety of activities and fundraisers to generate awareness and funds for natural disasters.
“We have done a lot over the years mainly revolving around fundraisers, such as bake sales, selling hot chocolate on Christmas Tree Lane [Fulton Street in Palo Alto] and our annual haunted house on Halloween,” Gavrielov said.
After its Pakistan awareness campaign, the club will gear up for the Haunted House, which will be held from Oct. 30 to 31.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on Oct. 1 but has been republished to promote the upcoming event.