Stay Awake and Dance!, known more commonly at American as STAND, is an all-night dance party focused on raising money to benefit local D.C. service organizations. Alpha Phi Omega, the community service fraternity at AU holds the event every year with the help of co-producers and sponsors. On March 29th the 5th Annual STAND was held in Tavern from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. This year Emma Maher-Horvath, a member of APO, was one of the co-organizers of the successful event. We sat down with our Campus Celebrity Emma to learn more about STAND and why she decided to get involved!
Her Campus American University: How would you describe STAND to students who have never heard of the event?
Emma Maher Horvath: STAND is a fun-anthropy event, combining giving back with a great time. We had dance performances, a capella, rappers, DJs, and magic for entertainment! Plus there were raffles, a dance contest, and food. The best part is that all proceeds go to Thrive DC and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, two great non-profits! We also had several service projects for people to participate in at the event.
HCAU: Who sponsored the STAND event?
EMH: Alpha Phi Omega (APO), the community service fraternity, and Lambda Chi Alpha co-presented the event this year. AEPhi, AU Queers and Allies, Sigma Chi and Phi Mu all sponsored as well.
HCAU: How did you get involved with STAND and what encouraged you to be one of the co-organizers?
EMH: I joined APO as a freshman and I was so impressed with STAND. The co-chairs that year inspired me. As a sophomore I was APO’s Service VP, under which STAND fell. I got to work with two co-chairs who not only planned an amazing event but were also such great mentors to me. All 5 years of STAND left some really big acts to follow but it’s close to my heart.
HCAU: What organizations benefited from STAND’s $10 admission fee?
EMH: Every year APO chooses one community organization to support so this year we voted on Thrive D.C. Some brothers had served there with FSE. Their passion won Thrive the vote! Since partnering with them on STAND, we’ve done some service projects with them and look forward to continuing our relationship. I had the opportunity to serve with them the day before STAND and all the amazing people I met there gave me new enthusiasm to finish strong. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is an international organization. They became a beneficiary when Women’s Initiative was a co-presenter and we’ve kept them on for this year too.
HCAU: Why is STAND important to you?
EMH: Oh, I have a story for that one! So like I said before, STAND has been important to me throughout my college years. However, planning an event like this takes a lot of energy and effort. After canvassing businesses for hours to ask for donations, I was feeling discouraged and tired. I walked into a business were the receptionist had once benefited from Thrive D.C.’s services. She told me her story and then expressed how pleased she was to hear about college students invested in their community. A D.C. native herself, she said that D.C. can truly become a home to anyone who cares and takes an active role. Needless to say, that story inspired me for the rest of the semester. It speaks to why philanthropy and service are so important to AU. We had a masquerade theme this year at STAND with the slogan “Unmasking Community” which spoke to this concept. D.C. and the world have problems but when we come together with organizations like Thrive D.C. and EGPAF, we can unmask the strength of AU, D.C. and the world.
Photo credits:
Emma Maher Horvath