In the spirit of Halloween, the Fremont Theater will show the 1999 film “Sleepy Hollow” today at 8 p.m. for $5.
Hosted by the Wheelchair Foundation, a nonprofit organization that delivers wheelchairs around the world, “Sleepy Hollow” is the first fundraiser for this year’s team, and all ticket sales will benefit the organization to buy wheelchairs to send to Belize. The cost of one wheelchair is $75.
“The special showing of ‘Sleepy Hollow’ is a way to get Cal Poly students involved so they can contribute to the cause in a way they can afford,” said Lynn Metcalf, Cal Poly Chapter adviser to the Wheelchair Foundation.
There are currently no programs available in Belize to assist people living with disabilities. Cal Poly’s chapter hopes to give the gift of mobility by sending 560 wheelchairs to children and adults in Belize and by raising $44,000 this year.
“We have a really good group this year and we set our goals really high,” Kristen Hunt, business senior and Wheelchair Foundation treasurer said. “Everyone last year said it was a very rewarding experience, so it’s very motivating for us.”
Previous teams purchased more than 1,200 wheelchairs and raised over $90,000, which was sent to countries like Peru, Thailand, Ethiopia and Guatemala. Participating in the Wheelchair Foundation is not just an act of community service, but also a senior project for 14 Cal Poly students like Hunt, who has a double concentration in marketing and accounting.
“Lynn (Metcalf) is my advisor and when I was looking for a senior project, she told me about the Wheelchair Foundation, and I jumped at the opportunity because one of my friends did it,” Hunt said.
The Wheelchair Foundation team will be selling tickets to “Sleepy Hollow” at UU Hour on Thursday at 11 a.m. and will also set up a booth at Farmer’s Market to sell tickets.
“We are trying to attract the college demographic by getting people from campus to come to the show since that’s who we know. But we also want to reach out to the community because they should be involved in this,” Hunt said. “Cal Poly is part of the San Luis Obispo community so they should want to get involved.”
The team’s primary fundraising event is not until April 2006, when they plan to put on an auction and gala dinner at The Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach. Tickets for the event are $75, and all proceeds from the auction go to buying wheelchairs for Belize.
“College students, we know, don’t have a lot of money. But we’re hoping some students can pool their money together to buy a wheelchair and get involved with this organization,” Hunt said.
The Fremont Theater, located at 1025 Monterey St., is donating the venue for the showing of “Sleepy Hollow.”
“We were brainstorming things that are fun and get people together at a student price point since not too many Cal Poly students can afford to come to the event in April,” Metcalf said. “We decided ‘Sleepy Hollow’ fits in the Halloween theme and Johnny Depp is always a great draw.”