On Saturday, May 12, Southwestern Counseling Center and Southwestern College students and staff put on a Talent Show to raise money for SWC students traveling to Malawi , Africa for internship over the summer of 2007. The Talent Show was a great success with original music by students, staff and SWC friends. Also, our president, James Nolan, sang a couple old favorites on his guitar accompanied by Paul Weeks a second year student. Others offered poetry, middle eastern belly dancing and a sock puppet theatre.

The cozily funky Backroad Pizza, 1807 2nd Street, was kind enough to donate their space at no charge, helping SWC raise over $3000 for the Malawi trip.

In Malawi, the students will be working through a local orphanage and spirituality center where they will offer psycho-education and counseling services relating to the AIDS pandemic. This will include orphan care, widow support, home-based care, life education with school-age children, psycho-social work with native healers, as well as beginning research toward improving HIV treatment, specifically the social responses that inhibit improved widespread treatment.

It is the first group of Southwestern College students making the trip to Malawi, though this connection is born out of prior work done by Southwestern Counseling Center Coordinator, Lori Moody, while serving in the Peace Corps. We wish them much success in broadening their cultural experience, while sharing their counseling skills and hearts with the people of Malawi.

--> More Malawi Fundraiser Photos