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The Portage High School field house rang with the sounds of teenagers having fun. Laughter, music and chatter filled the air. Some students shot baskets as others danced or sat around, talking and snacking.
Above the noise, a voice on the public-address system advised the participants: "Come down here for the icebreaker games. We're doing Big Red Pony and Birdie on a Perch. They're a lot of fun!"
The voice belonged to PHS freshman Emily Evans, organizer of Insomnia for Haiti, a 12-hour lock-in designed to raise funds for earthquake victims. About 150 students attended.
"After seeing newscasts from Haiti, I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what," Evans said. "I was walking down the hallway and saw someone wearing a Relay for Life T-shirt. That gave me this idea. I took it to the student body officers, and they loved it. Then I took it to the administration, and they liked it. So we started working on it."
The "we" included several friends and classmates of Evans -- freshmen Olivia Forrester, Katie Bylak, Ariel Caraballo and Taylor Search.
"There were a lot of other kids who helped," Evans said. "We have a huge staff, but these were the main ones."
The organizers chose the date and place, decided how the money would be raised, planned activities and food, and arranged for adult chaperones.
One of the chaperones was a natural -- Emily's father, Chris Evans, principal of South Haven Elementary School.
"I'm just here to help supervise," he said. "Emily organized it all. ... She always has been very organized, with a tremendous work ethic, and very caring. She's a lot of fun."
South Haven's home school adviser, Connie Melton, also chaperoned.
"Emily has helped out at South Haven for so long," she said. "When she was looking for volunteers, I said, 'I'm there!' "
Evans used posters and announcements at school, as well as Facebook, to spread the word. She crafted a letter, and she and her friends went to businesses seeking sponsorships. They asked for donations from other Portage Township schools.
Participants also sought sponsors. Their donation sheet was their admission ticket. Student Wendi Pope raised the most money through sponsorships.
Other funds were raised by the sale of food and specially designed T-shirts -- yellow for staff members and blue for participants.
Sophomore Chelsea Exl designed the shirts, which incorporate the PHS logo, the island of Haiti, concentric circles indicating the earthquake epicenter and a quotation about peace from Eleanor Roose- velt. Business sponsors were listed on the back.
Student Council sponsor Marcia Hobart praised the work Evans did.
"Emily was the driving force behind this," Hobart said. "She came to me for approval but did everything on her own. She and the other kids are doing it for the right reason."
The evening included many opportunities for fun. Students could participate in activities such as one-armed volleyball, the Most Epic Game of Simon Says, a dance-off, flag football and something with the intriguing name Secret Obstacle Course.
At midnight, students observed a moment of silence for the Haitians.
"This is great," Evans said. "Everyone pitched in. The Student Council and the ROTC really helped out. We owe our success to everyone."
And with all the fun, food and games, Insomnia for Haiti raised just over $3,000.
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