Chilean students from the UA graduate college raised money on the UA Mall Thursday for victims of last month’s devastating earthquake in Chile.

The event was held in front of Canyon Café from noon to 3 p.m. There was music and a picture slide show.

The proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to the southern town of Concepción, Chile, the epicenter of the earthquake. On Feb. 27, Chile was declared a “”state of catastrophe,”” by former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. The 8.8–magnitude quake that struck the country was the fifth largest quake in the world since 1990. Approximately 1.5 million people have suffered from the earthquake’s activity.

“”We want to help destroyed villages, schools and support the smaller areas of Chile,”” said Maria Paz Gomez, a philosophy doctoral candidate and organizer of the fundraiser.

Daniela Johannes, a Spanish and Portuguese graduate assistant and event organizer, has been affected directly. A gas pipe exploded just inches from her family’s house in Santiago, Chile.

“”It’s hard to hear about what happened to my country, my family,”” Johannes said. “”They’ve lost everything.””

Ivan Salinas, a science education graduate student and one of the 20 fundraiser organizers, said, “”We don’t have a goal for our fundraiser; any donation helps.””

Not many students were present at the fundraiser event; however, organizers talked to many students passing by, asking them for donations.

Samantha Sanders, a pre-journalism freshman, was among those who donated.

“”I enjoy helping out others and wanted to help the people of Chile,”” she said.

The money donated will help buy water, clothes and shelter for the victims of the earthquake. Although the Chilean graduate students don’t have an organization to donate to yet, they say all proceeds will go to relief efforts in Chile.

E-mail Maria Paz Gomez at mpgomez@email.arizona.edu if you would like to donate.