Performances planned for China quake victims

More than 70,000 people were killed when an 8.0 earthquake shook China on May 12.

Students and faculty at the University of Virginia are organizing concerts and dramatic and dance performances to raise money to help the 4.8 million people left homeless.

The fund raising begins Friday with an opening ceremony from 3 to 3:30 p.m. at the Free Speech Monument on the east end of the Downtown Mall.

Donations collected during the events will be sent to the Chinese Red Cross to buy food, medicine, along with education and reconstruction supplies.

Events will be held throug-hout August and September.

For more information about the earthquake and reconstruction efforts, or to get an event schedule, call Tom Rose at 823-1659 or 924-1030 or visit http://www.helpishope.org.

According to the Web site, the group has, so far, raised $710.