GW’s Chinese-American Student Association held a potluck dinner Oct. 1 to benefit the Taiwan Earthquake Relief Fund. Local Chinese restaurants donated food for the $5 all-you-can-eat dinner.

The University’s Chinese community is helping fund-raising efforts for victims of the September earthquake in Taiwan, Chinese-American Student Association President Jenny Suen said.

More than 120 people came to the dinner, raising about $600 for the fund, CASA member Franz Kuo said. CASA also collected $550 in pledges, which made the dinner a success, Suen said.

“I was really impressed with the multicultural turnout.” Suen said. “It showed that concern for the victims is not limited to the Chinese community.”

Suen said the potluck dinner also benefited the D.C. community because CASA members donated leftover food to homeless people in the area.

The potluck dinner is CASA’s main fund-raising event of the year. Member donations raised will also be put to charitable causes, Suen said. The organization may sponsor student calligraphy writing to raise money in the future, and students can still contribute to the CASA’s Taiwan Earthquake Relief Fund.

CASA does many things besides raising money, Suen said. The organization focuses on several areas, including teaching English to Chinese residents in the area, teaching GW students Chinese customs and different forms of the Chinese language and promoting social interaction through events, including recent paint-ball games.