A&O Productions will be hosting a charity film screening of The Karate Kid for a group of Rogers Park elementary school students this Friday. The event, which will be held in McCormick Auditorium, is supposed to last about two hours including a pre-show activity.
The film was chosen by the children and will be preceded by popcorn and a karate headband decorating activity. According to Weinberg junior and A&O Films co-chair Charlotte Melbinger, there will be about 22 kids attending the event from Project JAM!, an after school program based at Jordan Community School in the Rogers Park neighborhood that offers tutoring, workshops and recreational activities for third through fifth-graders.
“It’s a unique after school type field trip,” A&O’s Co-Director of Promotions and Public Relations Stefanie Goliszewski said. “Coming to Northwestern itself is an experience, especially as a kid.” Goliszewski, a Communication senior, added that the screening will be a “cool way to engage with the community.”
According to Melbinger, community engagement is something that is especially important to A&O. This year, the group has been trying to extend itself to the community as well as to other student groups with events such as this Sunday’s Best Coast concert on the Lakefill benefiting Dance Marathon.
“Our hope is that by doing this, we’ll open ourselves up to other charity,” she said.
Though the idea for the screening originally came from last year’s co-chairs, this will be the first time A&O is hosting the event, according to Weinberg junior and A&O Films co-chair Abhit Bhandari.
However, he also said that while this will be the first time A&O is putting on a charity event geared toward younger kids, there is a “definite possibility” that A&O will host similar charity events in the future.
“We’re really excited to hold this event and engage with the kids,” Goliszewski said. “Overall, it’ll be a great opportunity to interact with them.”