Even though Heritage alumna Mikhal Ben-Joseph graduated last year, her legacy lives on through the Butterfly Project. For the third consecutive year, Tikkun Olam, a club which Ben-Joseph presided over last year, hosted their Butterfly Bagel Brunch in the Environmental Education Center (EEC) to spread awareness about genocide and raise donations for Yazda, an organization that provides relief to genocide victims. The event, which ran from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 20, consisted of a variety of activities, including raffles, live performances and informational booths.
Taking over for Ben-Joseph’s role in organizing the brunch on behalf of the Butterfly Project, Tikkun Olam’s co-presidents juniors Angelin Mathew and Rebecca Chiet, along with Tikkun Olam members juniors Ashni Zaverchand and Pavitpaul Makkar, organized all aspects of the event, such as gathering sponsors and communicating with the Acapella choir and Tri-M Music Honor Society to plan live performances at the brunch.
The Butterfly Project holds an annual contest for freshmen to submit works of art or writing inspired by acts of genocide in order to help spread awareness of the crisis. The Butterfly Bagel Brunch then displays the works from the winners of the contest and recognizes the student’s efforts.
“We [Mathew, Zaverchand and Makkar] were actually members of the first genocide awareness competition, and we started off as freshmen who were chosen as winners, and from there we’ve always asked how we can stay involved,” Mathew said.
“We knew Mikhal very well, and we wanted to continue this for her, but we really want to make sure the message stays alive,” Makkar said. “I think she really tapped into our hearts with all the stories and all the things she had to share.”
Clubs such as Spanish Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, English Honor Society and TASSEL each had informational booths at the event, where members spread awareness about modern-day genocides and how they are still affecting society today.
“[Ben-Joseph] found ways to make the theme of genocides personally relate to us,” Mathew said. “She always encouraged us to tap into our experiences.”
As the organizers of the event, Mathew, Makkar and Zaverchand worked with Einstein Bagels and Nothing Bundt Cakes, two companies that donated the brunch food provided at the event.
“We buying something solves the task of having food at an event, but for someone to truly say ‘I want to sponsor your event because I believe what you guys are doing is right’ is what starts to create that consciousness that genocide is an active issue and not just part of our history,” Makkar said.
In the future, Mathew hopes to continue with the Butterfly Project and lead a student movement that lasts beyond graduation.
(Photos/Joanne Haner)
