On March 14, Global Issues Network (GIN) hosted White Day brownie and ice cream sale in the atrium. White Day is the day when people reciprocate gifts to those who gifted them on Valentine’s Day. In South Korea, it is typical for boys to gift chocolate, candy, and other gifts to girls—not the other way around.

GIN executives started planning for the White Day event in the beginning of March and advertised the event via their Instagram account. A couple days prior to the event, GIN executives went to purchase brownies and ice cream using club funds. On the day of the event, GIN members gathered in the atrium during office hours to package the brownies and prepare for the White Day sale.

During lunch time and activity period, members sold brownies and ice cream to the students for 4000 won. The fundraiser proved successful as around 70 treats were sold. 

“It was the first time GIN held this White Day event, so I was quite nervous,” Hannah Kim (12), president of GIN, said. “But the responses were all positive, and it seemed as though everyone enjoyed the dessert. It was not hard to arrange this event, and I am glad that we decided to host this because it was a nice simple event that allowed people to fully enjoy their White Day.” 

This was the second high-profile event of the year hosted by GIN after the Halloween Carnival hosted in October. Similar to the Halloween event held at the end of the first semester, the White Day sales were mainly for fundraising purposes. GIN hopes to plan a domestic volunteer trip in the week after spring break, so the money raised by the event will go toward financing it. But they also wanted to contribute to school spirit, especially considering that school had been virtual during the second week of March.

“Throughout activity period, people were crowded in the atrium buying brownie ice creams,” Brian Cho (11), one of the many buyers of the brownie ice creams, said. “This event without a doubt encouraged a positive attitude towards school life for students as they could see that in spite of these times of COVID-19, we have ways to enjoy school in these small but meaningful ways; as long as distancing protocols allow for it, I think that food sales are a great activity clubs can utilize to raise money and engage with the school community.”