Coppell residents and students gathered on Saturday evening at the Town Center Plaza to fundraise for A Night for Nepal, an organization working to raise money for the reconstruction of schools in Nepal following the devastating earthquake of April 2015.

Early on in the night, activities such as a bounce house, snacks, raffles, and live music were provided, before winding down later in the evening with a screening of “The Lion King” and “Rapunzel”.

“It’s always a good time,” two-time attendee Coppell High School  senior Mackenzie Becker said. “I love the end of the night, when my friends and I spread out a blanket on the grass and buy popcorn to watch the movies.”

The student-led Night for Nepal committee has worked for several months to organize the event, from booking the plaza and assembling raffle goods to spreading the word about the event.

“We met regularly to discuss ideas for what we could include during the events and how to promote it,” CHS junior committee member Lisette Hotz said. “It’s a lot to plan but at the end, seeing everyone out having fun and supporting us is worth it.”

This year marks the last event preceding CHS senior Kritima Lamichhane’s graduation. Lamichhane founded A Night for Nepal in 2015 during her sophomore year as a way to support her home country, following the earthquake that killed over 9,000 civilians injured close to 22,000. Since then, Lamichhane has continued the annual fundraiser.

“I wanted to make people more aware of unfortunate situations that do not necessarily revolve around them and to lend a helping hand to those who are in desperate need of it,” Lamichhane said. “Every year’s event has been so amazing.”

Night for Nepal will not end with Lamichhane’s departure, however, as inspired CHS students will be continuing the tradition.

Hotz is running for club president for the 2018-19 school year.

“It was an incredible thing for Kritima to do, so we want to build off her legacy and keep things going,” Hotz said. “Plans for next year’s event have already started to take shape, we’ve started brainstorming performances and what we could give away for the raffle.”