Brewing a cuppa with a cause

EVENT-MANAGEMENT and small-business students from Sebastopol College raised more than $400 for the Cancer Council at Australia's Biggest Morning Tea yesterday.The morning tea was part of their coursework, which required them to hold a fundraising event."They organised the event with the idea of the Cancer Council as their client," said the applied learning manager at Sebastopol College, Sofi Fiusco.About 40 students sent out invitations, prepared the entertainment and organised the catering "from start to finish".Local businesses made donations for the raffle prizes while the students paid for the catering out of their own company.Almost 80 staff and students attended the morning tea, each paying an entrance fee."Socially it's a great opportunity for our staff to get together at a morning tea to raise money for a cause and actually see the students working on a real outcome," Ms Fiusco said.The students will collate the information from the event and write a report on the result."It's a real satisfaction organising an event that actually has an audience," Ms Fiusco said."We learn what to change next time, and it's good practical experience."This was a warm-up for the next one they'll do."