Zeta Phi Rho’s annual Blu Carpet Affair raises funds for cancer research
The ICARUS dance group will be participating in multi-interest Greek fraternity Zeta Phi Rho’s annual philanthropy event, the Blu Carpet Affair.
BLU CARPET AFFAIR
Today, 7 p.m.
Northwest Campus Auditorium, FREE
By Michael Palumbo
May 9, 2012 12:25 a.m.
In 2009, Jesus Becerra, a fourth-year sociology student, was diagnosed with testicular cancer during the fall quarter of his second year.
Now in remission after months of chemotherapy and numerous surgeries, Becerra said he received copious amounts of support from his multi-interest Greek fraternity brothers in Zeta Phi Rho.
“My brothers were really helpful and were my mental and emotional support system, especially when I was in the hospital,” Becerra said.
Every year the Zeta Phi Rho fraternity continues to show its support for Becerra through its annual philanthropy event, the Blu Carpet Affair, which raises money for the American Cancer Association and Relay for Life.
The fifth annual benefit and competition involves different UCLA student groups who compete for a cash prize.
The event will feature both video entries as well as other student dance groups like ICARUS Contemporary Dance Company and American Chinese Association hip-hop dance group.
The groups are expected to create a piece of work that embodies the theme of the festival, “Unity.”
“The theme “˜Unity’ works with every aspect of unity we’re trying to achieve within our brotherhood and other UCLA students, especially through Relay for Life,” said Dongwan Kim, a second-year biology student who is also the main coordinator for the event.
Becerra said the Blu Carpet Affair is important to the brothers because cancer is something they feel very closely connected to.
“We all experienced what it’s like together and that makes us care more about the success of this event,” Becerra said.
He said he’s also inspired and moved when he and his brothers visit other patients undergoing cancer treatment at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the same hospital he was treated in.
Becerra will participate in Relay for Life this year as the Team Captain for Zeta Phi Rho.
“We will also be showcasing some films and having emcees perform. The event is one part competition and another part exhibition. We want every student group and every UCLA student to have a chance to expose their art,” Kim said.
Kim also said that the fraternity wants to help UCLA to achieve their $1 million goal in fundraising for Relay for Life.
Kim and other brothers have worked with the Office of Residential Life and ResTV to create more exposure for the event and to make it more accessible to the students living on the Hill.
While Zeta Phi Rho holds many fundraisers throughout the year, second-year computer science student and fraternity member Erick Ruiz said this festival allows the brothers to have a more active role in raising money.
“It’s more than just selling food to fundraise. The fact that we are actively participating in Relay for Life gets more people to care,” Ruiz said. As the technical adviser for the event Ruiz is responsible for sound and visual quality along with creating a website to promote the event.
Becerra said he felt a responsibility to the brothers who helped and supported him so much while he was sick.
“What they did for me personally meant a lot to me and it makes me care more about this event. The brothers are so enthusiastic about this cause that I also want to be inspirational to others and share my story,” Becerra said.
