Rockin' on poverty's door

After a hectic week of classes, studying and activities, it might be tempting to just sit around and do nothing. So, looking to kick back, you drag your plush leather armchair, fully equipped with rocking footstool, out to Locust Walk and sit there for the next 48 hours. While you're there, you just happen to raise $1,320 and change from student donations for charity. From 10 a.m. last Thursday to 10 a.m. Saturday, Rob Lewin and Steve Glazer, two Alpha Epsilon Pi brothers, did just that for their fraternity's effort to raise money for Project Home, a charity that works to help the homeless population of Philadelphia. "This cause was extremely important to the entire fraternity because it's a problem that we see and deal with every day," said Wharton sophomore Brian Neider, who organized the event along with College sophomore Jake Brooks. "Philanthropy takes on a much deeper meaning when you come in personal contact with those that you're aiming to help," Glazer added. For two days straight, Lewin and Glazer -- accompanied by at least 10 of their fraternity brothers at most times -- occupied the couches, passed around containers for people to put change in and boisterously encouraged fellow students to support their cause. With the help of Social Work Professor Dennis Culhane, who teaches a class on the homeless, the fraternity contacted Amanda Aranoff at Project Home. Project Home is a North Philadelphia-based charity organization that is working to break the cycle of homelessness. Through efforts such as neighborhood revitalization, shelters and job interview preparation, the charity hopes to help Philadelphia's homeless get off the streets and back into a stable lifestyle. "We felt that Project Home was the right place to make our donation because its work helps people on so many different levels," Neider said. Rock for the Homeless contributed to the activity on Locust Walk, not only with the amusing spectacle of Lewin and Glazer, but also by providing live entertainment. Mask and Wig, the Penn Jazz ensemble, Chord on Blues and Penny Loafers were all on hand to add to the occasion. "When Mask and Wig played on Thursday afternoon and everyone was out on the Green to support us, Penn finally seemed like a real college campus," Lewin said. Sitting in one spot for two full days isn't easy, though. "Rocking from Thursday to Saturday was made a lot easier by the fact that Bob and I are friends and we knew we were doing it for a good cause," Glazer said. As for the criticism expressed by some Penn students that the two shouldn't have used comfortable furniture, Lewin said the way in which they chose to raise money was irrelevant to the cause. Added Lewin, "Being a part of this event really opened my eyes to the generosity of people on this campus. We expected the tremendous support we received from our frat brothers, but the encouragement... from complete strangers was unbelievable." In addition to being sponsored by Allegro's Pizza, people offered the AEPi brothers everything from blankets and pillows to food and candy. Overall, the event was a successful one as, all told, the fraternity raised upward of $4,000, including money from alumni, family and friends.