Spotlight Productions’ third annual GV’s Got Talent competition is next week, and this year, the organization is hoping to engage the Grand Valley State University community in donating to a good cause.

“Our biggest goal for GV’s Got Talent is to allow people to showcase talents that might not necessarily fit into what happens at an open mic night or Saturday Night Dive,” said Janelle Shankin, coordinator of the event. “We want to give all of the students of Grand Valley the opportunity to showcase any talent they have.”

GV’s Got Talent is a talent showcase for the entire GVSU community, focused on bringing attention to the talent on campus that may have gone unnoticed otherwise. All of the donations from the event will benefit the Battle of the Valleys’ fundraising effort.

“This year’s event is going to be different because we have some brand new talent that are bringing new and unique acts to the table,” said Hannah Brown, events and traditions chair for Spotlight Productions. “With new acts every year, there is always something that makes the event stand out from the previous ones.

“These are not people we invite into our community to provide entertainment,” Brown said. “We are utilizing the insane amounts of talent that already exists here and giving those students a chance to express themselves and show off their talent to the Laker community.”

By combining entertainment aspects with the opportunity to donate to a good cause, GV’s Got Talent promotes active engagement within the GVSU community in a fun, exciting way.

“We hope that the contestants will have a wonderful experience being able to share their talents,” said Brown. “We have other events throughout the year that also give Lakers opportunities so show their talents, so hopefully the contestants will want to continue to utilize and grow their talents.”

Battle of the Valleys, the annual football game between rivals GVSU and Saginaw Valley State University, is also a week of fundraising against SVSU. The week surrounding the football game is presented by the Laker Traditions Team and aims to raise funds for the Laker Children’s Fund.

“We thought asking for donations at a talent show would be a good way to get students involved with the fundraising for the event,” Shankin said. “We hope attendees feel like they get to contribute to the fundraising of Battle of the Valleys and get to help make a difference.”

Historically, GVSU has not been able to raise as much money as its rival school, but Spotlight hopes to help in any way they can. GV’s Got Talent is free to attend, but there is a suggested dollar per vote.

“We hope to showcase all kinds of talent, from dancing and singing to beatboxing,” Shankin said. “We hope most of all that the contestants have fun when they perform.”

Shankin said that although the event began two years ago, last year was the first in which donations went toward Battle of the Valleys, and this year she and others hope to see even more success.

Donations to the Laker Children’s Fund can also be made at any time during Battle of the Valley’s week, which runs Nov. 8 through Nov. 14. GV’s Got Talent will be held on Nov. 10 at 9 p.m. in the Cook-DeWitt Center.