By Izabela Mscislawski
With Día de los Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) right around the corner on the first two days of November, BC’s Global Medical Brigades (GMB) hosted a sugar skull cookie decorating fundraiser. The event made its appearance in the Glenwood Room of the Student Center on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
In celebrating Day of the Dead, GMB members embellished the Glenwood Room with bouquets of marigolds—a national symbol of this holiday—accompanied by baby’s breath.
“It is believed that these bright orange flowers will lead the loved ones to the altar to receive food such as the bread, water, and connection to loved ones still living,” GMB co-president Gabriana Nieves told The Vanguard.
Alongside the bouquets, attendees had choices from conchas (Mexican sweet bread), pizza slices, and small chocolates and candies. Hosts welcomed attendees with a skull-shaped sugar cookie for them to decorate upon sitting down at one of the tables. Each table had its own cluster of piping bags, each with a different color of frosting for guests to paint their sugar cookies with.
The goal of hosting the event, according to organizers, was not only to fundraise for their upcoming humanitarian trip to Greece, but to have students learn and take part in the cultural holiday.
“We wanted to create a space where students can come together to enjoy, appreciate, and learn about different cultures while supporting a cause that uplifts the lives of many communities globally by providing access to necessary medical resources and care,” Abigail Toledo, vice president of GMB, told The Vanguard.
Even if students do not celebrate the holiday themselves, it is a means for those who have lost loved ones to still honor them.
“We wanted to create an event where people express their memories creatively, keeping the spirit of their loved ones alive in a colorful and celebratory way, even if they do not observe the holiday,” said Ilana Ruf, co-president of GMB.
Hosts also played the 2017 animated film “Coco”—a celebratory movie directly centered around the culture of Day of the Dead. The film is about a boy who ascends to the “Land of the Dead” on this holiday, demonstrating the value past generations hold to their descendants.
Decorating sugar skulls is a Mexican tradition in association with Day of the Dead, meant to celebrate the lives of those who have departed, with each sugar skull representing a loved one who has passed away. Sugar skulls represent the circle of life and intend to show appreciation to the deceased by cherishing their memory. A soul cherished on the Day of the Dead will have their corresponding sugar skull placed either on an altar or on their gravestone in their honor. They are decorated with patterns and linework descended from Mexican folk art, and the name of the departed soul is usually written on the forehead of the skull.
“Sugar skulls are a representation of remembrance and tribute for the loss of loved ones. It is often decorated with vibrant colors as a way to reframe such a tragic thing with celebration. As a tradition it brings people together to celebrate their spirit,” Rosellyn Tavarez, GMB’s recruitment officer, explained.
GMB’s last humanitarian trip was to Belize in June, where members aided a rural clinic serving an indigenous population that had little access to healthcare, as previously reported by The Vanguard. GMB is focusing on helping communities in Greece next, and the funds collected from attending their cookie decorating event will go towards supporting those in the country needing healthcare.
“Using this money, we will purchase medical supplies, cover travel expenses for volunteers, and support educational initiatives that empower communities to improve their health and well-being,” Ilana Ruf, co-president of GMB, said.
The communities that GMB serves are those who have little to no access to healthcare services either through lack of funds or by physical means of getting to hospitals and clinics. Fundraising efforts by GMB will go towards putting a team together to go to Greece.
“Majority of the people GMB outreaches, like the last trip as well, are people that don’t have the money or the means to get to a hospital, so funding is really crucial to even make the trip happen,” said Tavarez. “We have doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and etc. that do this work and need more helping hands through volunteers like us with the amount of people that seek out this resource.”
As previously reported by The Vanguard, Greece was chosen in order to help the many refugees and asylum seekers from Ukraine and other global conflicts access healthcare while they seek refuge. To GMB, their fundraising efforts will mean that these populations get the care they need for free.
“With the help of all proceeds from our fundraisers, we will be able to provide asylum seekers, migrants, refugees, and unaccompanied minors who have been separated from their guardians when fleeing from war with free healthcare,” Nieves told The Vanguard.
Students interested in learning more about BC Medical Brigades can follow them on Instagram at @bcmedicalbrigades