By Bev Upton–

Honors Student Council is gearing up to hold their second annual Book and Media Sale, better known as BAMS.

The sale, which will take place in the Red Barn from April 1 – 5, will raise money for Kosair’s Pediatric Oncology Unit.

“The Book and Media Sale is a tremendous undertaking and Honors is fortunate to have so many amazing students working on a project like this,” said Luke Buckman, honors adviser.

Last year, the sale raised enough to renovate a pod for the unit and furnish it with medical equipment. Honors Student Council member Alex O’ Keefe said that the renovation helped a sick child stay in one area of the hospital.

Since April 2013, 30 HSC members have been working to beat their numbers from last year. An executive team of eight has been focusing on BAMS by advertising, creating outside fundraisers and collecting and sorting donations.

“Though most people just see the footwork we do in collecting items and having the sale, we are driven by the knowledge that the money we raise goes to help sick children,” said HSC Vice President, Marianna Michael.

Because of the wide success of the council’s Yule Ball last year, the council thought they could do even more to draw attention to the sale. HSC added new events to increase awareness of the event. Events included a Zumbathon and a trivia night.

“Our long-term goal is also our short-term goal: to create events that contribute to the U of L community as well as raise funds for a worthy cause,” said O’Keefe.

“The success is rewarding [but] we focus on helping others,” said O’Keefe.

This year, the council decided not to collect religious texts, dictionaries, textbooks and VHS tapes to maximize space. Items for sale include books, CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, video games and systems and vinyl records.

Most items in the sale will be two dollars or less. April 1 is preview night, which requires a $10 admission fee. From April 2 – 4, the sale will be open from 9 a.m. -7 p.m. April 5 is the last day of the sale, with doors open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, check out their Facebook page at Facebook.com/bookandmedia2014 and by following their Twitter @UofL_BAMS.