This past Friday night, hundreds of Washington University students stepped out in their finest formal wear to attend Linus, one of the semester’s most anticipated events. Despite the haze of excitement and distraction of balloon animals, most of those in attendance did not forget that the money they spent on the coveted tickets contribute to Linus’ charitable donations. Partygoers helped the Linus Foundation raise $30,000 Friday evening.

Linus is an attempt to raise awareness and empower the Wash. U. community in its use of students and alumni as the foundation’s leaders. Even for those students who are not directly in the foundation but attend the events, Linus affords the opportunity for them to blow off steam in a way that benefits a good cause.

The Alberti Program is one beneficiary of the funds raised. Founded in 2006 by Wash. U. professor Bruce Lindsey, a dean in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, the organization has its home in Givens Hall and employs Wash. U. students as its teachers.

On its surface, the program seeks to “introduce kids to architecture,” according to Linus President David Maroti. “Sustainable design is the underlying theme,” added Gay Lorberbaum, a program director and architecture lecturer.

As a free program, Alberti is a place where it “doesn’t matter about money; it’s just a safe environment,” as Alberti teacher and Wash. U. senior Aaron Elkin said. It is also a place where children in fourth through ninth grades from 30 schools in underprivileged areas can learn about architecture, explore their creativity and have fun.

Those rooms to which the University’s architecture students go for class are used on Saturday afternoons by a younger set of budding architects. Some children work on repurposing projects, led by their teachers, while others use the materials available to construct the buildings of their dreams. On one such day, a group of children constructed a “Boys Club” out of matte board where girls are only allowed when doing “boys’ things.” Another student is in the process of constructing a home complete with zip lines and go-cart tracks.

Despite the fantasy element to these buildings, students of the Alberti Program are clearly also learning about architectural reality. The boy with the go-kart home mused to himself about how he will keep the wheels on the thin tracks he has devised. “Maybe magnets,” he murmured.

Teacher and Wash. U. senior Julia Roberts noted that this is one of the most enjoyable parts about working in the Alberti Program. “Being able to see how [the students] grow over the years in thinking about design…now I see them asking questions and really engaged, which is really exciting,” she said.

Despite the great work that the Alberti Program does, it is struggling financially.

“Without the Wash. U. kids, it’s impossible. Without David [Maroti], without that money, I’m not sure we could have done Alberti this summer,” Lorberbaum said. The money to which Lorberbaum referred is the $11,000 that the Linus Foundation donated to the program after its event last semester.

Lorberbaum also acknowledged generous contributions from other sources, including Campus Kitchen, which provides the students with a free and hearty lunch of sandwiches and brownies. Artmart also contributes, donating its leftover supplies to the program. All of the building materials are recycled. Lorberbaum, however, did not mention her own extensive contributions to the program.

“Gay [Lorberbaum] does a lot of the leg work,” Elkin said, adding that, for Lorberbaum, it is an opportunity for “letting kids share her passion.”

Though Linus’ donation to Alberti was last semester, the relationship between the two continues, something Maroti noted is a positive change for the foundation since its inception in 2005.

“Once it was just writing a check to the charities,” he said, but now “it’s about going past the point of donation and trying to help them work out their problems.” Indeed, Maroti has visited the program several times since the donation and is greeted warmly by both teachers and students alike.

Maroti tries to donate to programs that are close to home, particularly Wash. U.-based organizations.

“In making it a Wash. U. charity, we can make sure…it is accessible to students and build awareness for the school,” he said. “There are a lot of these things at Wash. U. that people don’t really attend to.”

This semester’s beneficiary is Lift for Life, a gym that provides underprivileged children with a safe environment in which they can strengthen their bodies and minds. Of the money raised Friday, $10,000 will go toward benefitting this organization.

For more information about Linus: http://linusfoundation.org/

For more information about the Alberti Program: http://thealbertiprogram.blogspot.com

For more information about Lift for Life: http://www.liftforlife.org