Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.
That seems to be the only word that can best describe what occurred a little over a month ago on October 15, 2010. For twelve hours, students and members of the community far and wide gathered at Miami Dade College Kendall Campus to eat, dance, and celebrate a strong hope for the poor.
We could not have asked for more perfect weather. The night before there was talk about having to possibly move our entire event into the library concourse, but we were spared from rain. It did get very, very cold late in the evening, however, something us Miamians were not prepared for.
The Team and I had already practically done two all-nighters the two nights before the official All-Nighter doing last-minute preparations. We will never forget the immense support we received from so many volunteers and our closest friends and family. On behalf of the entire team, I would like to thank all of you (and you know who you are) who helped us during those final hours.
Plenty of volunteers showed up to Fred Shaw Memorial Plaza starting at 12:00 pm that day to help set up for the event. In a matter of hours, tents were propped up and decorating began. Posters were created and hung up all around campus and the plaza. Volunteers used chalk to draw colorful art onto the entrance to the event, and when the event started we even had a high school student graffiti “All-Nighter for Haiti.”
The energy that night was incredible. Our volunteers were all over the plaza asking for donations and selling t-shirts, raffle tickets, food, and baked goods to event attendees and even to each other. (I was approached countless times by volunteers asking me to buy and donate, which I found quite humorous, but it made me proud to see how committed and passionate they were to this cause).
If you weren’t dancing that night, you were eating, and chances are you did both. There was so much movement that night that it nearly warmed the place up. (I was still freezing that night, though!) Our entertainment included performances by Delpaxton, Jacob Jeffries Band, Marlon Alarm, our main performance by Jahfe, and many, many other dance and musical performances. Again, on behalf of the entire Team, I would like to thank all of our performances for their generous donation of their wonderful talents to help our cause. Without you all, our event would not have been as successful as it was.
Though the Team and I were running around the plaza like chickens without a head trying to make things run smoothly, I occasionally stopped to just look at the plaza. The feeling that came about was indescribable. It was surreal. To this day, it still has yet to hit me just exactly what we did. Wendy and others from Food for the Poor, Inc. could not stop expressing how amazed and happy they were by our event; it was surely a party you could not miss! Our friends from last year’s All-Nighter Team, Stephanie del Pino and Amanda Balarezo stopped by, and they could not hold back smiles and tears of joy. They were definitely impressed and overjoyed that their idea, their project, their baby had lived on after they graduated.
The crowd was strongest by midnight, and although it died down slightly, there was a large group that stayed until 7:00 am exactly. We ended the night with a drum circle, and one of our hosts, Steven, kept the energy alive ‘til the last second. The sun was starting to rise, and when the clock struck 7 there was a sigh of relief, applause, and still more excitement - We did it!
And how could I forget our hosts? Natalie and Steven were so energetic and definitely fueled the energy all night long. Again, it was DEFINITELY a party you shouldn’t have missed!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! We cannot begin to thank everyone and anyone who helped, whether in big ways or small ways.
Because of all your support and participation, we believe we were able to reach roughly $24,000, more than last year’s $23,000 achievement. (Once we get the final count, we’ll surely let you all know.)
Over $7,500 was raised in online donations, over $11,000 the night of the event, and much more through outside fundraising.
We hope and know that all this hard work and all the money we raised will be used to help a community in Haiti rebuild their lives. Soon, they will have more sources of food and business. Recent news about a cholera outbreak in the Artibonite region did upset us, but we are reassured by the fact that this money we raised will be used to bring them much assistance.
I’ve mentioned this countless times before that I have seen how inspired and passionate our volunteers were before the event at bake sales and other fundraising events, but I cannot even begin to describe how this inspiration has exploded after All-Nighter. Let me tell you, there is hope for our future.
Thank you all again! We hope to bring you more news and reactions to our event soon. This time of the year is nearing the end of the semester, so we thank you for your patience and understanding!
Diego
