April 22: Dinner for a cause
UD chapter of Engineers Without Borders invites community to benefit dinner
10:30 a.m., April 20, 2016--The University of Delaware chapter of Engineers Without Borders will honor Earth Day during its annual benefit dinner on Friday, April 22.
Guests will indulge in hors d’oeuvres, dinner, and a silent auction while networking with student representatives from the chapter. In addition, teams from the chapter’s Malawi and Philippines potable water projects will give exclusive updates on their current progress.
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The Malawi Water Project, begun in 2014, will move to its first phase of implementation in summer 2016. The project seeks to install a well in the village of Mphero after two successful research phases.
The Philippines Water Project, begun a year later in 2015, completed its second exploratory trip in January of this year.
“The benefit dinner is instrumental to EWB-UD's success,” noted the chapter president, Kyle Lusignea. “We use the evening to maintain relationships with many of our supporters, and enjoy forming entirely new contacts every year.”
Several distinguished guests – UD Acting President Nancy Targett, Babatunde Ogunnaike, dean of the College of Engineering, and Allison Lee, foreign policy fellow in the office of U.S. Sen. Chris Coons -- will each give a special address.
The fundraiser is set to take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. in the Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory. Tickets are $55 and can be purchased online or at the door. A total of $25 of each ticket is tax deductible.
Funds raised at this year’s dinner will be used for operating costs of each of the chapter’s current projects. “The support we receive from the community is invaluable,” said Lusignea. “Going to the event, speaking with the students, and listening to our updates helps move EWB-UD toward its goal to engineer solutions to pressing problems around the world.”
Those who wish to donate directly to the Malawi well-building project are encouraged to visit the chapter’s crowd funding page. The students will initiate a crowdfunding campaign for their Philippines project in the fall.
On April 18, Lusignea, president-elect Sarah Hartman and chapter co-adviser Kim Bothi attended the Jefferson Foundation Awards Luncheon in which UD’s chapter of EWB was recognized as a finalist for the Outstanding National or Global Service by Young Americans award. Bothi and two project managers, Megan Safranek and Natalie Muneses, also presented their international activities to the Newark Rotary Club that evening as part of the organization’s community engagement efforts.
About UD’s Engineers Without Borders
Engineers Without Borders-USA is a non-profit, humanitarian organization of dedicated and enthusiastic students and professionals who believe everyone should have access to adequate sanitation, safe drinking water and resources to meet their basic needs.
The University of Delaware chapter works closely with an international community and professional engineers to identify a local challenge, and then develop and implement a sustainable solution.
Since the organization started in 2006, UD teams have completed a potable water supply project in Cameroon and a bridge construction project in Guatemala. The chapter’s current community partnerships are in Malawi and the Philippines.
EWB-UD actively seeks students from all academic backgrounds for its projects. Students from any academic discipline who are interested in becoming a part of the chapter are encouraged to attend a weekly meeting, held Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in 217 Gore Hall.
For more details on the University of Delaware Engineers Without Borders Chapter or its current and past projects, visit the website or follow along on Twitter or Facebook.
Article by Nikki Laws
Photo by Kim Bothi