Event organizers gathered outside of Sonny's Bar and Grill. Photo credit: Thomas Gordon

Algonquin College students, Chuhan Cao, Vivek Jaiswal, Ayushi Karia, Chhayal Patel, and Deboraah Christeeraj raised more than $1,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation on July 23..

Sonny’s Bar and Grill was alive with music when the project management students hosted a karaoke night, aimed at raising funds for Make-A-Wish.

Make-A-Wish is a charity organization founded in 1983, dedicated to creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illness, according to makeawish.ca.

“I’m really happy about this experience,” said Salma Abdellatif, a project management student at Algonquin. “I’ve Learned that there’s an organization whose set purpose is making a kid’s dream come true, and that’s amazing.”

Algonquin College has an ongoing partnership with the Make-A-Wish foundation and has raised $1.1M in the past 10 years through its project management program.

With a budget of zero dollars, the students were grateful when Sonny’s owner, John Yang, offered his establishment free of charge.

Though the event was free to enter, a donation was required to request a song, and polaroid photos were offered for $3.

For $10, students were able to enter a draw, with a chance to win tickets to the Ottawa’s Redblack’s ‘Legacy Night’ on July 28th.

As of July 23, the evening’s goal of $1,000 had been exceeded, and the students are hopeful for more proceeds from other events, running until August 1st.

If you’re eager to donate and have a good time, visit eventbrite.com for a list of future events.