Musical puppet show raises $500 for local day care center

More than a dozen Wharton freshmen taking Management 1900 organized Friday's festivities to benefit the Parent Infant Center. A puppet show and a musical sing-a-long entertained over 600 children last Friday, in an effort to raise money for the Parent Infant Center. The center enables parents to search for employment while their children attend day care. The show "Imagine That" -- organized by a 13 Wharton freshmen in a Management 100 group -- took place in the University Museum's Harrison Auditorium. It raised about $500. As 3- and 4-year-olds from various local day care centers waited for the show to begin, Wharton freshmen Ryan Goreman and Mei Jeng paraded around the auditorium dressed as Big Bird and a clown. The program constantly worked to engage the audience. Philadelphia puppeteer Steve Abrams sat on the stage cluttered with balloons and showed the children how to make simple hand puppets. He then presented short skits with stories ranging from Aesop's fables to Punch and Judy slapstick. The children laughed along excitedly as they tried to imitate Abrams's hand movements. "I think it was a good idea to use puppets," said Laticia Ford, a day care instructor at Children's Village. "We make puppets in school and kids can really get something out of it." Jonna Cane, a children's musician, performed for the second half of the show. She sang traditional songs with a modern twist using a wide range of instruments. Management Professor Michael London joined Cane on stage, accompanying her on guitar and harmonica. Cane then asked for volunteers, allowing several children to play her instruments as they sang "Down By the Bay." The children swayed in unison and followed Cane's instructions together. "We had a great time," Wharton freshman Sunipabarjee Bhutta said. "There was a huge turnout, we helped bring the community together? and brought the arts into the children's lives. It was so much more work than we thought it would be -- we each put in about 40 hours -- but it was worth it." "It turned out better than we expected," Wharton freshman Wei Wei Lu said. "We learned to work together for one cause and we saw that the most important thing [in organizing the show] was to keep your word." The group wants to continue to work and raise money for the Parent Infant Center in the future. Management 100 is a required course for Wharton freshmen, designed to foster skills through community service. "The project is wonderful," said Marni Sweet, director of the Parent Infant Center. "The students made a low cost cultural event possible and learned a lot from working together." Sweet said she was impressed that the students were only in their freshman year. She assumed after first talking with them that they were students in Wharton's graduate program.