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            KU's Teams and Groups class made $539.46 at their charity event for the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence. The event, which was held at Jo Shmo's, did raise money, however, was not as successful as they hoped.

            "We were hoping the event would raise more money than last year, but that didn't happen. The event raised only about half the amount we wanted to make," said Jason Grebe, the class professor.

            The class attributed the low amount of money raised to the location of the event.

            "We didn't realize the event would be held only upstairs of Jo Shmo's. The event seemed more like a private party," said Jeremy McKee, a student involved with the event.

            Jo Shmo's was decorated with streamers, balloons, and paper Jayhawks colored by kids in the Boys and Girls Club. The event offered music, bocce ball, dollar drinks, and a raffle to promote donations. A few prizes were raffled off every half-hour throughout the event. The biggest prizes were a basketball and football signed by the KU basketball team and the KU football team.

            "I'm so excited I won the basketball! I'm going to give it to my mom for her birthday," said Collin Brahm, the raffle winner of the KU signed basketball.

            Bartender tips, cover charge, and raffle money was donated to the Boys and Girls Club. Although drink money was not donated to the club, a donation booth was set up to account for the loss of contribution from drinks.

            The fundraiser was initiated to make up for recent budget cuts at the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence. The budget cut affected art supplies, field trips, and other recreational items. However, with the money raised from the event, some of these items can be returned to the kids in the club.

            "The donation from the event will allow us to purchase more art supplies for the kids. We really appreciate what the class has done. It's nice to see these college students take time out of their schedules to help the Boys and Girls Club," said Erika Zimmerman, Development Coordinator at The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence.

            The event was held at Jo Shmo's on April 30, at 9:00 PM. Cover charge was lowered to six dollars from the initially decided ten dollars. The class couldn't get the kegs for the party because of miscommunication on the part of an employee arranging the event with the class. In addition, the employee was fired for not communicating about the event with the owner of Jo Shmo's.

            Steve Ramos, 22, has never celebrated a birthday or any holiday for that matter. He hasn't because he grew-up in a family devoted to Jehovah's Witness beliefs. He looks back on his childhood and sees a happy child growing-up with his family. He doesn't feel deprived, doesn't feel ashamed, but rather indifferent. However, his calm and closed-off demeanor suggests otherwise. He seems withheld, like there is more to say but he doesn't want to or can't because of his religion. He overviewed the religion saying that the name "Jehovah's Witness" comes from the Bible's name for Jesus, Jehovah, and that the followers are witnesses to Him. He said they are expected to share or witness their beliefs to others and to follow the rules of the Bible.

            One thing strikes as odd. Steve shares about his pleasant memories and content with his family and religion, but he has recently given all of that up for a women he met online. Steve met Sarah online six months ago. During that time, they got to know each other through email and video chats. Things were going well for the couple and Steve and Sarah began to discuss moving in together. He knew that moving in with Sarah would require him to break away from his Jehovah's Witness values and would drastically change his life.

            After weighing the consequences for a few weeks, Steve decided to break the news to his family. He told them about his new girlfriend and his decision to move out of state and into a house with her. After hearing his decision his parents were extremely upset. Not only was Steve moving out of the house, but also moving out of state, and into a house with a woman. Something Jehovah's Witnesses believe should only happen in marriage. To make matters worse, Steve went on to tell his family that Sarah is Catholic and not a fellow Jehovah's Witness. His parents had heard enough. They told him to pack his things and leave the family. Steve was cut-off from his family and also kicked out of his religion. For this reason, Steve refused to give out his family's phone number for an interview. Such sensitive subjects were not to be discussed in public. Even he was hesitant to speak throughout the interview.

            "I'm going against the religion and living in sin. Living with a woman before marriage, and she is Catholic. It was a big decision but I was ready for it," said Steve.

            His family now refuses to visit him, but has begun to talk with him about important issues via telephone. They do not give him money or support his decisions in any way, but they have come to accept those decisions and want him to know they still love him. While Steve could reprove to get back into his religion, he will not do so. He believes he has done nothing wrong by moving in with his girlfriend and does not want to give up his new life for his religion.
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            His love for Sarah is stronger than any other tie in his life. He sacrificed everything for her, his family, his religion, and his friends. All of that was lost in his move from Fremont, Ohio, to Lawrence, Kansas. His new life can be what he chooses it to be. He doesn't know how long it will last or how well it will go but he hopes it will work out. Love is all he has now, and that is enough for him.

            Many businesses have been affected by the struggling economy, forcing them to cut back on their budgets, but now some non-profit organizations such as The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence are also being affected.

While budget cuts are harmful for every business, the budget cuts of The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence affects many young children who need after school care. Most of the children attending the club come from families who cannot afford after school care otherwise, and with the unemployment rates up, it is even harder for families to afford childcare.

From the runway to the streets, it is obvious that skateboard culture has recently become an influence on youth fashion. Bright colors, crazy patterns, and unexpected style combinations are among some of the characteristics that define this growing trend. The style stems from Japanese Harajuku street fashion and has adapted to American taste, by incorporating baggy or heavy clothes common among skateboarders. This style can be seen all over the country and the style has a special presence in Lawrence. It has spread from skateboarders to the general public though exposure from an increasing number of fashion web sites.

Web sites like High Snobiety, Hype Beast, C to the JL, and Sneakhype are among some of the sites that have propelled board fashions. While these sites are in competition with each other, this industry differs in that promoting other sites helps to promote their own site as well. Competitors are more like partners. By working together, the companies can increase awareness of the culture and increase popularity for their site. Unlike other businesses, these sites make their money though the amount of traffic their sites receive. The goal is to increase frequency and time on the site, allowing better sales for featured ads. Making money is important, but these sites really strive for visibility and appreciation of the culture. By first establishing a web site known for featuring fashionable products, these companies can later develop into a brand and sell their own products. Sneakhype has already begun this transformation.

Two KU students, Pat Galbraith (20) and Eric Giroux (20), created Sneakhype on July 24, 2008. It features various brands of clothing, art, music, and architecture.

"Sneakhype goes beyond clothes and features anything that exudes freshness. It's more about a lifestyle than just a look," said Eric Giroux, one of Sneakhype's founders.

Sneakhype was developed through the site Blogger, but after increasing in popularity, the site transferred to a different server and registered a domain. The average number of visits to the site was 20,000 per day, but after registering a domain the visits doubled to more than 40,000 per day. The increase in visits provided confidence and the company felt ready to sell some products of its own. Sneakhype featured and sold its company's first T-shirt on a small scale as a trial, selling 40 shirts and giving away some for publicity. The shirts were a good way to check the current strength of Sneakhype as a brand name and also make some money. Although Sneakhype does not yet make much money on products and advertising, the developers of the site do receive samples of products from companies it features. For now, Sneakhype serves as an online fashion magazine guiding those interested in skateboard style and further defining the style's identity. Sneakhype has gotten hits from many countries, but the highest rated are English-speaking countries such as the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.

With the increasing number of sites like Sneakhype, many companies have realized the growing popularity of skateboard fashion and are trying to enter the market. Nike is one of these companies, with its new subsidiary, Nike SB.

"I think these big companies are figuring out that this is a sophisticated, progressive, and wealthy demographic that will spend a lot of money on clothes, so they want to get in on the spending. It's another group of people companies can sell to," said Pat Galbraith.

Instead of developing another brand for this style, some companies are collaborating with underground brands to reach a new audience with their products. The North Face is collaborating with Supreme to enter the market, developing a North Face jacket with the appearance of a chain link fence. Collaborating allows for a mainstream brand to fit into the underground style, while the underground style becomes more mainstream. The effect is a trade-off that provides more brand recognition for both companies.

"I would have never bought a North Face jacket before, but now that it's collaborating with Supreme, I'm actually considering it," said Dylan Skies, a frequent visitor of Sneakhype.