Around 50 people came out to support the SMU Gamma Phi Beta’s philanthropy event “Under the Crescent Moon,” a movie night benefiting Girls on the Run on April 26.
Tickets to the event screening of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” were $5 from a Gamma Phi Beta member prior to the event or at the gate.
Girls on the Run is a transformational learning program for 8 to 13-year-old girls. The non-profit organization is dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.
Junior Olivia Neilands was excited for her sorority’s event. “We haven’t done anything like this before and it’s a great movie,” Neilands said.
Sophomore and Gamma Phi Beta sister Natalie Gullo had been looking forward to the event for a while.
“I love movies so for me this type of event is great,” Gullo said. “I forgot how much I love this movie and I get to chat with my sisters.”
The philanthropy committee originally struggled with organizing this event, as they had to take movie copyright and licensing agreements into consideration. The SMU Program Council assisted the event planners and decided “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was a safe choice. Master’s student and sorority alumnae Morgan Rund thought this was a perfect event before the busy weeks coming up for SMU students.
“I think this is a perfectly fitting movie to show before finals,” Rund said.
Getting the movie rights was not the only obstacle the event planners had to deal with. Philanthropy Chair Isabella de Cardenas said they also had to reserve the screen projector and popcorn as well as put in a grounds request for a space on Dallas Hall Lawn.
“Ideally, we would have also liked to get hay bales and string lights,” Cardenas said. “But we had already gone over budget with all of the other expenses the event required.”
The guests didn’t seem to mind the simple décor. Event goers lounged on blankets on the grass and enjoyed the refreshments and company. Daniel Porting, a friend of Cardenas, came out for the love of philanthropy events.
“I haven’t seen this movie in a long time, and I figured it would be fun to come out and support a philanthropy,” Porting said.
Junior Adam Sanchez was also recruited to come by Cardenas, only an hour before the event commenced.
“I’ve only seen maybe the first thirty minutes of the movie,” Sanchez said. “I didn’t know what to expect here but the popcorn is great, the screen is cool and the people are nice.”
