Silent Auction and Soup and Salad Lunch Is March 24 at Finlandia

HANCOCK, MI - The Finlandia University Service and Learning in Tanzania program will host a Silent Auction and Soup and Salad Luncheon Saturday, March 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in Mannerheim Central, the university's former cafeteria in Mannerheim Hall on Franklin Street, Hancock.

The fundraiser will help six Finlandia students travel to Tanzania this May for the seventh annual three-week service and learning experience near Dar es Salaam, the capital city of Tanzania. Two faculty members will accompany the students.

On the lunch menu are Tanzanian vegetable soup, winter squash soup, wild rice soup, green salad, and homemade desserts.

Silent auction items include Tanzanian sisal rugs, batik fabric and wood carvings from Tanzania, handicrafts, hotel passes, Copper Harbor Lighthouse tour passes, and merchandise and certificates from local businesses.

Advance tickets are $7.00 each, or $8.00 at the door. Finlandia students with a valid ID attend for $5.00 per person. Children ages six to 12 attend for $3.00 each; children under six years attend free.

A ticket must be purchased to participate in the silent auction.

Since 2006, 43 students have participated in Finlandia's Service and Learning in Tanzania program. The total cost per student is $3,000. The students' goal is to raise half of the cost through fund raising; the remaining half is paid for out-of-pocket.

Advance tickets may be purchased from Finlandia University director of servant leadership René Johnson. Contact René at 906-487-7558 or rene.johnson@finlandia.edu.