The valentine fundraiser will aid women and children displaced by domestic violence.

Valentine's Day can be a difficult holiday for those who are struggling, particularly for the women and children at the YWCA who have been displaced by domestic violence.

Whitman students gathered Wednesday night to make valentines in an effort to help the YWCA.

The card-making party is a fundraiser dreamed up two years ago by professor Mare Blocker, who teaches printmaking and book arts. While serving on the board of review for Whitman's Panhellenic Association, Blocker was struck by the amount of philanthropic events in which the fraternities and sororities participated. Blocker, who also served as an adviser to the Fine Arts House, wondered why the interest houses didn't organize charitable events.

Blocker and the resident adviser of the FAH brainstormed and came up with the idea to have a night where students can make valentines that they donate to be sold for a minimum donation of $3. The event, which is sponsored by the FAH and the art department, raised approximately $500 for the YWCA in its first year.

The third annual event was as popular as ever; the printmaking and book arts studios were packed with students who were chatting away while cutting, gluing and carving. The tables were covered with an array of brightly colored papers, lace trimmings, animal stickers and ribbon. Glitter, however, had a separate station.