Students can put their drinking to a good cause by attending a Haiti benefit party at Gentle Ben’s tonight.

The event, which will last from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., will be put on by the UA College of Medicine.

A $5 cover charge will be required and all the proceeds will go directly to the American Red Cross and UNICEF for Haiti.

“”There’s such a dire situation in Haiti, and, as medical students, we are seeing how far our medical help can go,”” said Alok Patel, second-year medical student and chair of medical student government and coordinator for this event. “”We understand that a $5 cover charge can go a long way when a lot of people contribute.””  

Gentle Ben’s will have $3 drink specials and a DJ for the event.  

“”It’s deeper than collecting money. We’ve gotten the word out about Haiti, and now people are paying attention to what’s going on over there and they’re seeing that just $5 can do wonders,”” Patel said.  

The party has a Facebook event page called “”Help Haiti Shake the Quake,”” which has more than 100 confirmed attendees as of press time.

“”As medical students here, we learn about the different mechanisms of antibiotics and how important is to treat certain diseases, and, with Haiti’s situation right now, we are doing everything we can to draw attention to the tragedy,”” said Martin Benjamin, vice chair of medical student government and second-year medical student.

Currently, many Haiti victims face preventable illnesses, water-based diseases and trauma as a result of the Jan. 12 earthquake, Benjamin said.

“”That’s why we wanted to raise donations to UNICEF; they put in best relief effort,”” Benjamin said.

Gerard Meurer, manager of Gentle Ben’s said, “”The event is great. Anything that can help Haiti is a great thing, and it’s great that we can help because what happened was such a tragedy.””

Help Haiti Shake the Quake event

9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

$5 cover charge

Drink Specials, DJ, and more