I Am ... Accessories, an organization combining fashion, music and philanthropy, held a barbecue Saturday afternoon at Alpha Kappa Lambda, 339 Fraternity Row, to raise awareness for pediatric cancer and AIDS.

I Am ... Accessories is a nationwide organization that raises money by selling jewelry. Proceeds raised at the barbecue went to the T.J. Martell Foundation, a cancer research organization started by music industry executive Tony Martell in 1975.

The I Am ... Accessories organization is thriving in places such as New York City and Los Angeles. A branch was founded this year in State College and is in the developing stages.

The barbecue raised about $600 for the foundation, which members say is a huge success and shows the growth they've had over the year.

"We want to make philanthropy the cool thing to do," said Diane Kwist (junior-public relations), one of the group's managers. "There's only so many cancer ribbons you can have. This is something fashionable and different."

Kwist, along with her co-manager, Kathleen Hennessy (freshman-public relations), said they know girls who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars at local boutiques monthly, so they know the fashion market is definitely here.

"We're trying to bridge the gap between consumer interest and social cause," Hennessy said. "We've been trying to get local retailers to pick up our necklaces."

Because the group is not run through the university, it has been hard for it to promote its product, such as its newest "brave" necklace.

"It's got to be so hard for a group directed toward students to get out their cause without university support," Angelica De Wit (junior-journalism) said. "They can't even get tables at the HUB. The fact that so many people are here today is a huge deal."

Consistent with the organization's national association with music, I Am ... Accessories provided plenty of entertainment for about 200 barbecue-goers.

Local band Audio Imagery opened up the event performing music off its upcoming album entitled Hush.

"I'm really glad we could be part of this," said Jason Brown, a mechanical engineering graduate and the band's lead rapper.

"Not only is it for a good cause, but it's music-oriented and that makes it really easy to identify with for people our age."

The self-proclaimed Gnarls-Barkley inspired band was a hit at the event.

"I've never heard of an organization that combines fundraising so closely with music and I thought because the band was so good it was really effective in getting people out here," Jesse Ansbro (freshman-information science and technology) said.

The event also included salsa dancing lessons and an African dance and drumming performance by the student group Nommo.

The day was sponsored by Alpha Kappa Lambda and Phi Kappa Tau fraternities.

I Am ... Accessories plans to expand its goals next year. Because much of its charity goes toward pediatric research, it hopes to get involved with Thon and eventually become a more prominent organization in the community, Kwist and Hennessy said.