Students dress up for children's awareness

Students dressed as witches, ghouls, black cats and even Peter Pan flocked to a Halloween banquet to celebrate the holiday while simultaneously raising aid for child suffering worldwide last night at the George Sherman Union.

The Boston University United Nations Children's Fund hosted its first Halloween Banquet held at BU Central, which boasted two live bands, games, food, bobbing for apples and dancing.

UNICEF, a nonprofit designed to aid children suffering from malnutrition and lack of clean water, used the banquet to raise money for the Child Soldier Rehabilitation foundation, which helps prevent countries around the world from enlisting children in government armies.

"The program is intended to get children out of the cycle of violence and for those who were previously in the army to be functioning members of society," said BU UNICEF President Lauren Slater.

Ninety percent of the $10 tickets sold at the door benefited the Child Soldier Rehabilitation. One-hundred to 200 people were expected to show up, and Slater said she hoped the night would raise $1,000.

College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Brandon Stinchfield was dressed in green head to toe and announced he was Peter Pan.

"I think the issue of child soldiers is very important, and students need to be aware of the problem," Stinchfield said.

UNICEF members voted on which organization they wanted to sponsor for the night and chose child soldiers as a worthy cause.

Children in dozens of countries are direct participants in war and most of these children are subject to horrific violence, according to the Amnesty International website. Children serve as soldiers for both rebel groups and government forces in current armed conflicts.

"Most child soldiers are located in Africa, but over 30 nations around the world have these soldiers," Slater said.

CAS senior Ashley Slade, who has been a member of the organization for three years, said the UNICEF banquet also sought to raise awareness.

"We have tons of pamphlets and information here so students who come to the event not knowing about UNICEF and child soldering can learn about the issue," she said.

UNICEF also plans to host a Hunger Banquet, a trip to the United Nations and a lock-in for the world awareness event. UNICEF members plan on hosting the Halloween Banquet again next year.