Stuy’s Free Hugs Club held its first Annual St. Jude Children’s Hospital Fundraiser on Thursday, April 10 in the cafeteria. The fundraiser raised 3500 dollars, overreaching their goal of 2000 dollars. Tickets cost five dollars.

Stuy’s Free Hugs Club is a service volunteer club run by junior and club president Katharine Chen and junior and club vice president Tanya Kobzeva. The club’s mission is to raise money to “give back to the community,” Chen said. The club was founded last year by Chen and Kobzeva who got the idea for the name from the popular “Free Hugs” video that featured Juan Mann giving strangers hugs.

All the proceeds will go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital which provides medical attention to children with cancer. The hospital is known for taking in patients with high risk cases and those without enough financial resources to get help elsewhere. St Jude Hospital also researches possible cures for serious diseases like leukemia.

The fundraiser was a carnival, with food, games, prizes and performances. Originally the members wanted to have a party to raise money, but they changed their minds because “the party idea wasn’t perfect yet, and a carnival would raise more cash,” Chen said.

So many students attended the event that many had to be turned back at the door due to a 500 person limit in the cafeteria. “We expected 200 people originally,” junior and Stuy’s Free Hugs Club treasurer David Mannes said.

The students may have been attracted by extra-credit, because some teachers promised it. Although sophomore Forrest Di Terri also received extra credit for attendance, he went because “all the money spent there is allegedly going to a great cause and it seemed like it would be a lot of fun,” he said.

The carnival had various games including Penny Toss, Can Smash, Guess How Many and Tiger Dartboard, all run by Stuy’s Free Hugs Club volunteers. Each game cost one or two vouchers, depending on the level of difficulty. Prizes for these games were relatively modest, like brain teasers or beach balls.

Aside from the small games, there were Limbo, Smash Brothers, Dance Dance Revolution and arm wrestling tournaments. These tournaments were the most popular events. “I lost my voice. I was dead,” said sophomore and Stuy’s Free Hugs Club Editor David Rice who monitored the Smash Brothers Brawl. The winners of those received more expensive prizes, like an iPod shuffle.

Prizes were also given out in a raffle competition. Prizes included gift cards to stores like Starbucks and Barnes and Noble, a Yoga lesson for two, gift baskets and movie tickets. The prizes were mostly donations from companies and stores around the Tribeca area.

The food was provided by neighboring business, like Portebello’s, which donated 15 pizza pies. In addition, members of the Stuy’s Free Hugs Club brought in food and desserts. The wide food selection offered plates like sushi, chicken cuts and rice. “My grandpa brought in blinchiki,” said freshmen and Stuy’s Free Hugs Club member Rita Kirzhner, “a type of Russian pancake.” A plate of food and a drink cost two tickets, and dessert was an extra ticket.

Performers were chosen by audition, and they included Stuy Squad, the Barbershop Quartet, junior Dimitri Wijesinghe, Indian Dance, senior Serge Lobatch, Greek dance, junior Michael Ardeljan on saxophone, the Salsa Club, A Cappella and Swing Dance. “It was a good idea for us,” sophomore Katerina Cecilia and Greek dance participant said. “We love Greek dance and it was for a good cause.”

“I liked the show concert, especially the swing dance […] performance, and the chorus,” Di Terri said. “I had a lot of fun.”