Despite a dismal economy, students still able to raise money
By Alicia Nierenstein | gargoyle@flagler.edu
The phrase “giving back to the community” is often not associated with college students in the eyes of the older crowd.
If people with this opinion took a look at the Flagler College campus, however, they would see that some of the clubs give new meaning to community service.
Within the college, there are 22 different clubs ranging from those that help clean up and rebuild homes, to those that collaborate with outside educational institutions and work with children with disabilities.
The clubs work to raise money to better the programs they participate in, as well as improve their own goals and objectives, and further their education about these organizations.
The members of Service Club help to raise money not only for themselves, but for another cause as well.
They raise money for the St. Gerard Campus, a shelter for high school dropouts. The teens are fed, sheltered and re-enrolled into high school, or they are guided in continuing their education.
The club plans to raise money this year by hosting a car wash with the proceeds going to St. Gerard. Other ideas for fund raising include raffles and other on-campus activities.
Jerae Forde, a junior as well as the president of Service Club, is confident in the success of these fund raisers because similar attempts have worked before.
“In the past we’ve also done things like Weenie Wednesdays, where we cook hot dogs in the gazebo and sell them for a cheap price, and we’ve made a lot of money,” Forde said.
Another club that raises money for charitable causes is Flagler’s Spanish club, Club Oyé. This year the group is focusing on helping to raise money for the children of Victory Village, a poverty stricken area of the Philippines.
The people in this village live on less than $1 a day, and are in desperate need of an improved living situation, as well as food, clothing and education.
The president of the club, senior Devin Vaché, plans on using bake sales as a fund raising tactic, as previous attempts have proven successful. The club also raises money simply by asking for donations.
The club will have a guest speaker, Tita Medi, a nun from Sri Lanka who works very closely with the children of Victory Village, come to further explain the reality of the lifestyle for the people of the Philippines.
Vaché hopes that this will encourage people to donate money to help the cause.
Involvement with outside causes does not just involve helping people in other countries.
Community involvement is a prominent and common cause itself.
The club Rotaract, is used to involving themselves with activities such as road cleanups. They have even adopted a portion of US Highway 1, from the CVS pharmacy on State Road 16 until King Street.
Although club president of Rotaract, senior Jordan Greathouse, is unsure of how they will achieve their fundraising goals for this year, she explained that they have previously held silent auctions, such as Denim and Diamonds.
“Usually our funds come from Rotary International, the main organization,” Greathouse said, “and some of the funds go to places like the Saint Francis house and the American Cancer Society.”
The club has also previously raised money for the organization Hope for Haiti.
Supporting research for cancer is also one of the objectives of the service club Phi Alpha Omega.
In previous years the club has supported and helped to raise money for the March of Dimes, as well as for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Club member, senior Ashley Barnes, said they have thrived in their previous approaches for fundraising.
“Last year each member had to give at least $25. Then we raised money in a walk,” Barnes said, “and by the end of it we had raised over $2,000.”
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month the club sells a variety of pink ribbons around campus in order to earn money.
In addition they will host a golf tournament in hopes of gaining proceeds which will be sent to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, for cancer research.
Phi Alpha’s famous campus Bachelor Bid is another event that brings in funds that are used to help either a national or local foundation.
Even a more recently formed club such as Club Unity even has plans to involve themselves with organizations, and help raise money for causes. By receiving sponsorship from local businesses, selling t-shirts, putting donation buckets inside local stores, and holding donation drives on campus, which are some of the prospective ideas thus far, the club will try to raise money for a couple of different organizations.
Club Unity wants to assist in funding for Jasmyn, a center in Jacksonville for children who have been sexually abused.
They also will be involved with Keep a Child Alive, which is an organization which tries to help children with AIDS, especially in Africa.
“I’m proud because I thought this club would be more social, but it has really turned into a community service,” club president and junior Chris Lauth said.
Proceeds from the various fundraisers will be sent directly to each organization, with money for KCA being sent to their main office in New York.
Each of the clubs who are interested and active in helping these causes have plenty of ideas for earning money in order to help.
There are a broad range of causes that are being assisted by the students, and if these ideas are implemented, they will continue to successfully help out within the community, and even some who are across the world.
Information about each of the campus clubs can be found on the college’s Web site, www.flagler.edu, along with contact information for all of them.
Be the first to comment on "Campus clubs helping others"