Stevenson students skip meals to build awareness

Stevenson High School senior Iulia Padeanu was a strong proponent of the campus' first Fast-A-Thon -- but she didn't expect going without food for a day would be so hard.

"Maybe because I'm not allowed to eat, I've noticed more people eating," Padeanu said shortly after noon Friday, halfway through her fast. "One kid was eating a bagel and cream cheese right beside me, and I must say, I don't think I've ever wanted a bagel as much."

Organized by the school's diversity council and a campus group called the hunger awareness club, an estimated 120 students and about a dozen staff members are fasting. The event was designed to build understanding of the school's diverse cultures and to raise money for charity.

Participants collected pledges of $5 or more from sponsors. They hoped to raise $1,000 for COVE Alliance, a Christian group that helps orphans and other children in Uganda.

They had about $700 by noon, said Janet Jesse, the diversity council's sponsor.

Inspired by a similar event at a Milwaukee college, Stevenson sophomore Sahar Alchammae developed the idea for the Lincolnshire school. A Muslim who fasted for a month as part of the recent Ramadan holiday, she was struck by how so many other faiths call for fasting.

For example, Roman Catholics fast during Lent, Jews don't eat on Yom Kippur and Hindus fast on certain days of the week and various special occasions.

"The population of Muslims at this school is not very high, so we did it as an interfaith event ... to show that different people fast for their religions," Alchammae said.

The fast began at 6 a.m. and was set to conclude at 6 p.m. Friday. An after-school discussion with area religious leaders about fasting traditions was scheduled, as was an evening feast to break the fast.

Alchammae and Padeanu sat with friends during their lunch periods but didn't eat. The encounters led to talks about fasting and their faiths, Alchammae said.

"When you see your friends not eating during lunch and you are, you're going to ask why," she said.

Unlike Alchammae, Padeanu is Christian Orthodox and doesn't regularly fast. The experience led to some introspection, she said.

"It does give you the opportunity to ask yourself, 'Why are you doing this?'" the Buffalo Grove resident said.