HU for Change Update - 1.18

This picture represents a group of students who used their influence and online voices through social media to raise awareness and raise money for aid relief organizations serving in Haiti after the earthquake.

The students exceeded their initial goal of $1,000 by over three times for a total of over $3,800 as of 11am this morning in 4 days. They actually met their original goal of $1,000 in the first evening of fundraising at the J-Term Jam event held on campus.  Funds came from all over campus and the greater community of Huntington, IN as the students contacted local churches and businesses.

The students chose to support Concern Worldwide after considering what the greatest needs in Haiti were when they decided to launch the HU For Change campaign. The students believed that clean water was one of the top priorities after they reviewed the American Red Cross’ handle on medical supplies. Concern Worldwide is one of the two main partners Charity: Water uses in Haiti to handle the well building. Concern was open in stating that 94.4% of any donation goes to funding their programs, which is a good number. The students also realized that whatever organization they choose now could be supported in the future by other students, so choosing an organization accordingly played a factor in their choice.

Nearly all of us in the Grassroots Campaign class are blown away by the results and we had no idea that we’d be pushing $4,000 in just a few days.

The students and I would encourage you to find an organization and consider supporting their efforts. If you would like to donate, you can donate directly to Concern Worldwide. If you would want to help the students keep track of their impact, feel free to leave a note in the comments section of this post.