Ryan ChartrandAmy Dierdorff
mustang daily
A group of Cal Poly students is hosting a fundraising concert for Woods Humane Society on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Downtown Brewing Co. , as part of a class project.
The concert, for ages 18 and up, will start at 8 p.m. and feature popular local band The New Longview, with performances by The Archdukes, and, Rhodes. Admission is $10, and all the proceeds will benefit Woods Humane Society.
The fundraising project is part of the curriculum for professor Shawn Burn’s Psy 351, group dynamics. Burn placed students in groups of six or seven based on common interests in charity causes.
Software engineering junior Justin Glaeser, a member of the group raising money for Woods, said having a group with similar passions has made their project a lot stronger and has made them work harder to reach their goal.
“I think it would have been a lot harder,” Glaeser said. “If you don’t care about the cause, you’re not going to put 100 percent effort into it.”
Another group member, software engineering senior James Reed, is glad he got to experience what it takes to plan a big event and raise money for a good cause.
“I definitely think I will take something away from this,” Reed said. “I’ll never be able to do something like this again for my major classes or in my career. It will be cool to look around at the concert.”
Glaeser believes the class project has been more challenging and time-consuming than most, but said it is well worth it.
“The experience of helping out with Woods and any charity organization is very rewarding,” Glaeser said.
The group hopes that all their work will pay off and aims to beat the record of $2,700 raised by a group in one of Burn’s previous classes. Reed says they also have a secret hope they haven’t shared with the rest of the class.
“We set a group goal to beat every other group,” Reed said.
Each class usually raises between $7,000 and $10,000 collectively, for local and national charities and nonprofits.
The group also hosted a special presentation by Smile and Nod, Cal Poly’s improv comedy troupe, Friday, Nov. 10. All of the fees from ticket and refreshment sales at the show will be added into the group’s total fundraising efforts.
“The concert will make or break it, but there seems to be a lot of positive feedback, so I’m excited,” Glaeser said.Woods Humane Society is a privately funded organization dedicated to the humane care and placement of unwanted and rescued animals in San Luis Obispo County.
In 2005, they successfully found homes for 85.6 percent of their sheltered animals. Only 20 percent of their revenue comes from service fees, with the other 80 percent generated by fundraisers, grants, wills and community donations, according to the fundraising group’s press release.
Tickets for the concert can be purchased at the door for $10, and additional donations will be accepted. Downtown Brewing Co. is located at 1119 Garden St., in downtown San Luis Obispo.