Marquis Players Raised $6,200 for Local Charities this Spring

The Marquis Players raised $6,200 for local charities last semester through its production of the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

The total is $2,500 more than what the group raised in 2002-03, when it produced Sugar. The 19 annual Marquis Players musicals have raised about $73,200 for charity.

This year’s grant recipients are:

• Habitat for Humanity;
• Safe Harbor Shelter in Easton, which provides beds, meals, and other assistance for 24-28 homeless men and women;
• Turning Point, which offers counseling and shelter for victims of domestic abuse;
• Third Street Alliance Shelter in Easton, which gives provides beds, meals, and other support to women and children;
• Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Northampton County, which provides care and adoption services for unwanted pets;
• Four Diamonds Fund, Penn State Children’s Hospital, which treats children with pediatric cancer and conducts research on the disease;
• ProJeCt for People in Easton, which provides emergency meals, housing, and other services;
• Kids in the Community, an after-school activities/day camp for children living in public housing coordinated by Lafayette’s Landis Community Outreach Center;
• Alternative School Break Club, a Lafayette student group that sponsors service trips in the United States and abroad;
• Lehigh Valley Food Bank, which provides surplus food to area food banks and soup kitchens;
• Lafayette’s Meals for the Homeless program, in which student volunteers cook a weekly meal at Third St. Alliance.

This year’s musical was dedicated to Gary Miller, who is retiring after more than three decades of service as college chaplain.

“Gary holds everything together for the Players, from alumni relations to balancing the checkbook and everything in between,” noted Toni Ahrens ’05 (Hamilton, N.Y.), a double major in psychology and English who portrayed Lucy, and Benji Berlow ’06 (Palmerton, Pa.), a psychology major who played Linus, in a joint statement. “However, it’s impossible to itemize exactly what he has done for this organization, because his contributions go beyond simple tasks and responsibilities; he has truly been the heart of this organization. Without Gary to help us next year, we will not only be losing a valuable leader, but also an inspirational friend.”

“Gary always embodied the true spirit of the Marquis Players,” said Scott Wynne ’02(Valhalla, N.Y.), who played gambling boss Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls before graduating with a degree in mathematics-economics. “From trying times to celebrations, he always inspired us to strive for the highest goals in our shows and our lives. With Gary as our adviser, we always knew that there was a force guiding and encouraging us.”