Northwest University students recently learned that hard work and a little heart can make a world of difference. The group of 27 students hosted Restoring Rwanda, a charity banquet and silent auction benefiting the Itafari Foundation.

The event, held recently at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, raised approximately $21,000.

The students were asked to produce a benefit event in 10 weeks as part of a Marketing Theory course taught by Professor John Bacon.

The students produced a charity dinner and auction benefiting the Itafari Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Victoria Trabosh. The Foundation works to help the people of Rwanda rebuild their genocide-torn country by supporting widows and orphans of the genocide through education, entrepreneurial training, goat-rearing programs, and school constructions.

The students formed Ignite Marketing Co. and hosted the benefit event after listening to motivational speaker and life coach Trabosh share her experiences of her time spent in Rwanda. They were moved by her message of hope and decided to dedicate their class project to raising money for the Foundation.

“I told them it would take about three-to-six months to put on that kind of event,” Trabosh said. “They said great — we’ll do it in 10 weeks. It’s impressive and I have watched their confidence grow in their own leadership skills.”

The event included the opportunity to buy a goat or a brick. Itafari means brick in Kinyarwandan.

“I chose to name the foundation with the understanding that we will help change the country itafari, by itafari, by itafari,” Trabosh said, adding, “This is a country that does not want to be defined by its past, but by the tremendous strength and resilience of its people.”

For more information on the Itafari Foundation visit www.itafari.org.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at llarin@bellevuereporter.com