Emerson Suites is often bumping with the loud bass of a concert or beaming with the bright lights of an event, but tonight the Ithaca College community will come together for an event of a different kind.
“Step Up to a Cure,” a concert sponsored by the Ithaca College Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Club and IC Project Generations, will be held at 7 p.m. today in Emerson Suites. The club aims to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis at the college and in the Ithaca community by putting on events to raise money for the cause.
“Step Up to a Cure” will be a night of performances featuring campus groups such as IC Dance Team, ICircus, Ithacapella, Erik Caron Connection, WICB, Acahti Players, IC Voicestream, Amani Gospel Singers and Pulse, the college’s hip-hop dance group. Between performances, members will speak about multiple sclerosis and how people can get involved in working toward a cure.
Junior Katie Paccione, co-president of ICMSA, said she wanted to bring together as many campus groups as possible to help fundraise for this cause.
“We thought it would be great for the a capella groups to do another concert for a great cause, but also showcase other performance groups that maybe most college students don’t know about,” she said.
MS is a disease that attacks the central nervous system resulting in symptoms such as a person losing the ability to walk, speak or see.
Throughout the night there will also be several raffles with prizes from local organizations such as Wegman’s and Cinemapolis. All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Junior Erik Caron of the Erik Caron Connection, an acoustic rock band performing at the event, said he is excited about the exposure, but also wanted to emphasize to the student body the importance of coming to the event.
“People should go because it’s going to be a great time, not only in support of a very important cause, but it’s going to be really entertaining,” he said.
Doreen Hetich-Atkins, adviser for ICMSA, said it is crucial for both students and members of the community to get involved in the event and learn about the disease.
“It’s their opportunity to get people to come out and talk about MS and how it affects young people, how it affects older people and to raise money to find a cure for the disease so hopefully no one has to live with the disease again,” she said.
All of the work ICMSA has done so far is culminating in this event. Paccione said members of ICMSA and Project Generations couldn’t be more excited about the event.
“It’s for a really great cause, not only for our club to fight MS but to help Project Generations out with their cause, and even to just support all of the performances,” Paccione said.
