Participants bid on everything from tennis lessons to musical performances during the Asian American Alliance's (AAA) annual charity auction on Friday. The event, which was in Sophia Gordon Hall, raised $1,600 for the Friends of the Chinatown Library campaign.
Fifty Tufts students and groups donated services for the auction, and about 100 students attended, according to junior Allistair Mallillin, the event's main coordinator.
As part of the programming, the a cappella group S-Factor offered to sing "Happy Birthday" to the highest bidder, while the Jackson Jills sold a 30-minute performance.
Theta Delta Chi, B.E.A.T.S., La Salsa and Anchord were also among the groups that put services on the auction block.
"In general, [the group of volunteers] was definitely representative of the Tufts population as a whole," freshman Joseph Ha, a co-coordinator for the event, said.
The auction's beneficiary is looking to build a library in Chinatown at a time when new construction projects are facing increased setbacks.
"This year, a lot of the Asian groups around Boston have been in turmoil because of … the recession," Ha said. "Chinatown is highly accessible from Tufts and we felt we could make a difference there."
Ha said that the AAA has been focusing on the library in particular to make sure children in the area have a place to study, find books and use the Internet.
Friday's totals were on par with the amount the AAA raised last year, but "there are always things that can be improved," Mallillin said.
