The Department of Art and Design conducted its second annual fundraiser, Notes and Joe, at the Shore Art Gallery last Friday to benefit a local home renovation project.

The event supports a goal of the art department’s Project Merge to raise money to help the Abilene community. The event included s’mores, musical performances from students and some good cups of “joe.”

Tickets for the show were $7, which will go directly to a home renovation project beginning later in the semester.

Students Jill Crandall, senior interior design major from Bellingham, Washington, and Michael Ferguson, senior interior design major from Ridgefield, Washington, lead Project Merge with adviser Kitty Wasemiller, professor of art and design.

“How good can it be to have that much fun and have an easygoing thing, and then raise money?” Wasemiller said.

According to its website, Project Merge is a “home renovation project to provide safe and healthy living environments for local families who are in need.”

Hope Haven is the target project for this year. According to their website, “Hope Haven offers people a place to live up to one year while they work to remedy their homeless situation.” They also provide food, transportation, childcare and supportive services.

“This will be a little bit different but for an extremely worthy cause,” Wasemiller said.

Carli Scheevel, sophomore interior design major from Seattle, planned Notes and Joe this year and connected the event with the American Society of Interior Designers. Students from any major can participate in the project in various ways and should email acuprojectmerge@gmail.com for more information.

“Everyone throws around the phrase the ‘ACU Bubble’ but going out into the community and helping people here kind of goes to show that you don’t have to stay in the ‘ACU Bubble,'” Scheevel said. “You can go into the community and you don’t even have to go to another country. We’re just here.”