LuziCare, a student-run initiative, will be holding its annual silent auction to raise money for health care in Malawi this Thursday, October 28. 

Founded in 2007 by Jamie Goldring ’09, LuziCare works with a community based organization (CBO) parent company, Face-to-Face AIDS, to address the need for more accessible and better quality health care in Malawi with a strong focus on families dealing with HIV/AIDS. 

Recently, Face-to-Face AIDS put the organization in touch with developing CBO, Chadika, and the two began work together. Money raised by LuziCare is currently donated to Chadika to build sustainable gardens that support close to 40 Malawian families. This project is part of an effort to ensure these CBOs achieve a level of self-sufficiency which would allow additional health care projects to be successfully launched in the future. 

The auction will run from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Page Commons. Students can bid on items ranging from ski tuning, donated by the Colby Outdoor Club, piano lessons, a double date at the Grand Central Café, a Ukulele serenade, to a variety of baked goods.

Coupled with the auction, LuziCare is also holding a speed-dating event, something that has been very popular in the past. Additionally, the group has arranged ongoing “penny wars” between the four classes. All proceeds will be donated to Chadika.

Presidents Chelsea Scholz ’13 and Hillary Sapanski ’13 are enthusiastic about the upcoming fundraising events and the progress LuziCare has made. “We get updates from Chadika and we’ve heard all good things so far,” Scholz said.  Sapanski also has big plans for possible future LuziCare activities, including a hunger banquet, as well as a speaking event with Ken Wong ’83, a Colby alumnus who now runs Face-to-Face AIDS. 

Scholz and Sapanski  encourage any students interested in getting involved in LuziCare to stop by the club’s meetings held on Mondays at 9:00 p.m. in the Diamond building.