Members of the Chi Sigma Alpha sorority hope to raise thousands of dollars for charity at the fourth annual Music 4 Life benefit at the Museum of History and Industry today. The event will feature live local music, Apple product giveaways and Vietnamese sandwiches. Students are invited to experience the variety of entertainment and foods to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the UW’s Experimental Education Unit.

“I hosted Music 4 Life last year and had a great time,” said UW senior David Fung, the event’s host. “It was one of the first events I ever hosted, and it ended up turning out really well and was a great jump-start to my comedy career. There isn’t any other show like this at the UW — any time great performers and a great crowd can come together for a great cause is special. Expect ’08 to be bigger and better than last year.”

Chi Sigma Alpha, an Asian-interest sorority, will sell food and raffle tickets for a chance to win a free iPod shuffle and other Apple products donated from sponsors.

Slated to perform at the event are Eva Sabiniano, a young local singer, and Jalen Testerman, aka J-Styles, a 6-year-old b-boy from Seattle.

“It is a great opportunity for local artists to promote themselves as well as participate in a great cause,” said Olivia Sengsi, the event’s coordinator. “A great number of performers in the past have been students right here on campus.”

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the UW’s Experimental Education Unit, a group specializing in education for disabled children.

“Music 4 Life is a benefit show that we hold each year in hopes to raise money towards our philanthropy,” Sengsi said. “We seek to help and aid underprivileged children.”

Every year, the sorority strives to improve the event to find more ways to involve the community, said coordinators Sengsi and Donna Chan. This year, the sorority moved from the event’s former location in the HUB to the larger Museum of History and Industry’s McEachern Auditorium.

“The opportunity in being able to share our story with students on campus would be valued,” Sengsi said. “Many other Greek organizations on campus have different focuses for their philanthropy, yet I know of a few that contribute to organizations like the Make-a-Wish Foundation. In some aspects, because we aren’t a mainstream organization, it’s harder to promote our efforts for such causes.”