Night of One Thousand Dinners
Throughout the past years, AIS has been lauded by the community not only as one of the best institutions of learning, but also as being one of the most diverse schools. This diversity can be attributed not only to its varied student body, but also to its many community service organizations (CAS groups). These CAS groups participate actively in aiding those who are less fortunate on both a local and international scale.
International Students Against Landmines (ISAL) is one of such organizations. Founded in 1997 by three AIS alumni, it has now spread to several different schools and has excellent ties with other anti-landmine organizations. As its name implies, ISAL’s mission is to help eradicate landmines and also to provide aid for those who have been maimed by the destructive weapons.
Landmines are possibly the cruelest weapons in existence — every 22 minutes someone is either killed or maimed by a landmine, and its victims are most commonly children and other innocent civilians. In addition, the landmines used in past wars continue to function and cause thousands of deaths in countries which are no longer at war. The problem is widespread as well — landmines afflict all six major continents.
To combat the spread of landmines, ISAL raises money through student-driven events such as bake sales, dances, and talent shows, as well as at AIS events such as WorldFest. The money raised will be sent to Adopt-a-Minefield to fund the clearing of minefields all over the world. This year, ISAL wishes to integrate itself more wholly into the AIS community and to involve not only the students, but also the faculty and the parents.
On the evening of November 11, ISAL will host a candlelight dinner called The Night of One Thousand Dinners. This dinner is actually an event held all around the world; on a certain day in November, people around the world gather to celebrate the anti-landmine cause. Every year, people such as Paul McCartney host their own dinner, all to support the anti-landmine cause. For the first time in AIS history, ISAL is going to join in on this worldwide event.
The members of ISAL hope that AIS parents of students at all grade levels, as well as faculty, will participate in this occasion. We view AIS as a solid and actively benevolent community. This year, ISAL members have worked extremely diligently to start up this event, on top of all the homework and tests they receive. At the dinner, ISAL has organized for professional catering, wine, and entertainment as well as guest speakers such as the former president of CARE. The dinner, for adults only, will be a formal event that we hope to continue every year.
ISAL will be sending out invitations to each family as well as e-mail invitations in the coming month. We will be selling tickets for the dinner during the month of October, and we will do the best we can to spread the word around school.
We, as AIS students, only wish to give back to the community as much as it has given to us, and we hope to do so with the help of AIS’s wonderful parents and faculty.