Just over a month ago, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook the country of Haiti, demolishing buildings and claiming the lives of thousands. Whether it is on the front page of the newspaper or on your local evening news at night, the impact of the devastation that seems so far away has been difficult to ignore—which is why some college women are choosing to take action. These standout stars are taking the lead at their schools, proving that you don’t have to leave campus in order to make a difference.
Who: Kristen Calandrelli
College: Harvard University
Fundraiser: Roses for Haiti, a campus-wide Valentine’s Day rose sale
Her Campus: Tell us about your event! Kristen Calandrelli: Roses for Haiti was a campus-wide fundraiser organized by the Harvard Project for Sustainable Development and supported by a variety of social and service organizations on campus, including The Seneca, Harvard Global Health and AIDS Coalition, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, South Asian Men’s Collective, Pleiades Society, and the Institute of Politics. The campaign lasted from February 8-14. Planning began January 31, sales began January 8, and roses were delivered February 14.
HC: How much money did you raise?
KC: We raised over $3,000 for the earthquake relief efforts of Partners in Health.
HC: What inspired you to become involved in Haiti relief? Were there any specific stories that touched you?
KC: Tracy Han [Harvard student] and a team of volunteers were working in a community in the Dominican Republic right on the Haitian border when the earthquake struck. She was working with DR Water, a project of the Harvard Project for Sustainable Development, working on a water chlorination initiative in the community of Las Mercedes. Working with Sebastian Velez, a Resident Tutor in Kirkland House at Harvard and Executive Director of the NGO Children of the Border, Tracy and her team were able to send $40,000 worth of supplies across the border to Jacmel, Haiti, an area severely damaged by the quake that at the time had not yet received any aid. After the quake hit there was a lot of interest from our membership about organizing a fundraiser for Haiti relief—as we are a group focused on sustainable international development, this was an issue that touched many of our students and which fit within our mission to take on. When the DR Water team returned, their story further inspired the HPSD membership to get directly involved in earthquake relief efforts. One of our members, XY Lim, had the idea for a Valentine’s Day rose sale. We knew that a lot of student groups on campus wanted to “do something” for Haiti had not yet organized their efforts, and we knew that to make something like a rose sale profitable we would have to network throughout the entire campus. So it seemed like a perfect fit—we could rally a bunch of groups already passionate about helping this cause with a very concrete project that would quickly raise substantial funds for the relief effort.
HC: Was it difficult planning a fundraiser of this magnitude? How were you able to get the participation you needed to be successful?
KC: It was a major challenge to organize a campus-wide fundraiser on such a limited timescale, but it was an exciting challenge that really helped us grow as an organization and as individuals. Tracy took the lead on networking with other student organizations in order to get the manpower and publicity we needed. Then to get the whole campus involved in buying roses we leveraged the network Tracy had built to make sure that we hit, nearly literally, every email list on campus. We organized an email publicity campaign to coordinate the times these publicity blurbs were sent to all these lists. We set up an online ordering system for the convenience of cash-less college students (and those who feel like ordering roses for their Valentine’s in their dorm room at midnight instead of in a dining hall at dinner) and advertised the website as much as possible. We also set up cash ordering points throughout dining halls at meal times and at the Gateway to Global Health event that took place immediately after the Harvard for Haiti Benefit Concert. We were very satisfied with the participation we received, and at the end of the week had received orders for 1200 flowers to be delivered on Valentine’s Day!
HC: What was your favorite or most rewarding part about doing this for Haiti?
KC: Just knowing that what we were doing was going to help people in need. I know it sounds simplistic, but you can spend a lot of time planning a project in a community that you’re not sure will make a substantial difference in someone’s daily life. With this, we know that people need money, that money will make a difference, and that every extra dollar is needed right now to help people whose suffering we cannot even begin to imagine. In addition, it’s rewarding to know that we are sending money to an organization that we know is responsible and sustainable. It was great to know that we are supporting an organization that will not only provide critical disaster relief, but which will continue to work in Haiti long after many other agencies has left, providing critical medical care to patients and empowering whole communities. It was also great to see the enthusiasm from all different parts of campus in supporting this cause. It’s not very often you get such a diverse team of student organizations collaborating and rallying around a single issue.
HC: Even though it has been several weeks since the earthquake, help is still needed. What advice would you give to college students who would like to contribute to Haiti relief or even organize their own fundraiser?
KC: What is needed from people working in the United States is money, not supplies. Also, the more you can collaborate with other groups on a fundraiser the more of an impact you will have. Finally, the more time that passes and the more the quake fades out of the media, the more difficult it will be to rally students or donors around the cause. But help will still be needed! Not only is earthquake relief a long-term process, there is so much that needs to be done to alleviate poverty and suffering in Haiti. I think the biggest challenge is going to be to sustain the momentum we’ve seen in recent weeks to help people in Haiti and transform it into a longer-term commitment.
Who: Kate Kalil & Briston Sullivan, Her Campus UNH Campus Correspondents
College: University of New Hampshire
Fundraiser: Heartthrobs for Haiti, a date auction where all proceeds supported the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund
HC: How much money did you raise?
Kate Kalil: We raised $1,023 to be exact. This amount greatly surpassed what we expected to raise. We were very pleased to be able to give such a sum to the relief fund.
HC: What inspired you to become involved in Haiti relief? Were there any specific stories that touched you?
KK:When my co-correspondent, Briston, and I heard about the death of a close friend’s father who was a UN official killed in the earthquake, we knew that this was something we had to do. We had just launched Her Campus UNH a few days prior to brainstorming this event and it seemed perfect to hold an event that would both advertise our new website and also help the people of Haiti.
HC: Was it difficult planning a fundraiser of this magnitude? How were you able to get the participation you needed to be successful?
KK: To be honest, we put this fundraiser together in less than two weeks. When we first thought of the idea, and decided that it would be an event that was related to Valentine’s Day, we had to put everything together extremely quickly, and at that point in time, it was only Briston and me. We are both in a sorority on campus, and when we introduced Her Campus UNH and our idea for the event, we instantly formed a team of contributing writers and a marketing team for the event. Within 14 days we had advertisements circulating campus, an article explaining the event and the launch of our website on the front page of the school newspaper, we had compiled a group of five eligible UNH bachelors to auction off at the event, and had gathered gift certificate donations from over 15 upscale restaurants in the Portsmouth area for the dates and for raffle prizes. It was exhausting work, but it paid off!
HC: What was your favorite or most rewarding part about doing this for Haiti?
KK: The fact that we had a personal connection to Haiti made this event very special for us. It is so rewarding to know that we were able to hold an event that was not only fun and entertaining, but one that was able to raise a great amount of money for the people of Haiti. The most rewarding part was watching how excited our audience was to participate and donate money.
HC: Even though it has been several weeks since the earthquake, help is still needed. What advice would you give to college students who would like to contribute to Haiti relief or even organize their own fundraiser?
KK: I think the most empowering feeling is knowing that you can help. It may seem that being just one person is discouraging, and that actually making an impact in someone’s life is not feasible, but the truth of the matter is, one person has the ability to coordinate an event that can fundraise lots of money and contribute to Haiti relief. If you can dream it, you can do it.
Who: Anni Satinover
College: Skidmore College
Fundraiser: Harmony for Haiti, a concert that featured Skidmore College a cappella groups, bands, the Skidmore gospel choir and a faculty quartet
HC: How much money did you raise? Anni Satinover: We raised $3,500.
HC: What inspired you to become involved in Haiti relief? Were there are specific stories that touched you?
AS: Music has always been a huge passion of mine so when I heard about the earthquake I thought that organizing a concert could be a really meaningful way to donate. I also hoped that we could encourage students to donate by inspiring them with music, rather just simply asking for donations.
HC: Was it difficult planning a fundraiser of this magnitude? How were you able to get the participation you needed to be successful?
AS: Parts of this process were difficult, but only because it was challenging to pull together a program of 13-plus performances in about two weeks. It was made easier by the fact that the student body was very supportive and eager to help in any way, from putting up posters to helping to sell tickets. [Also,] the performers themselves worked so hard to pull together a set in such a short amount of time. I found that so many students were willing and eager to be a part of it.
HC: Describe the process of planning of planning your fundraiser.
AS: I started by asking all of our campus a cappella groups to put together a set of two or three songs to sing. We then booked our new Zankel Music Hall, which just opened this spring. This required a lot of meetings with the music department and other people in the administration who oversaw the construction of this space, to make sure it would be used properly. I also met numerous times with sound engineers in the building for sound checks and rehearsals. Some student bands expressed interest in playing as well, so we added them to the program with the help of music professor Godron Thompson. After that, we just had to advertise, which we did mostly through our Facebook event and posters. I think word of mouth was also particularly effective in this case since we only had two weeks to plan.
HC: What was your favorite or most rewarding part of doing this for Haiti?
AS: The most rewarding thing about this concert was seeing how many students were so interested in helping and how much money we raised. The concert was really inspirational and I think it encouraged students to take the reins on projects like this instead of waiting for the administration or faculty to organize something. It was amazing to see how many people loved and supported the show.
HC: What were the highlights of planning such an event?
AS: I really loved how cooperative everyone involved was. I got to work with students and faculty/administration together to plan this and it was great to see such a collaborative effort for a good cause.
HC: Even though it has been several weeks since the earthquake, help is still needed. What advice would you give to college students who would like to contribute to Haiti relief or even organize their own fundraiser?
AS: I think the best way to inspire people to help is by encouraging people to come up with projects that are meaningful to them. I love music and I love to sing with my a cappella group, so I felt very attached to this project. I think if people continue to be creative and innovative in finding ways to raise money, people will continue to be enthusiastic about contributing.
Who: Katie Riley
College: University of Tennessee
Project: Fierce & Fancy Formals: Fashion Show & Dress Sale at The Emporium in Knoxville, TN hosted by the Haiti Outreach Program (HOP) [givehaitihope.org]. Students, mothers, daughters and sisters were invited to spend the afternoon browsing through formal gowns or even donate a dress themselves. The event kicked off with a fashion show which not only featured several donated dresses, but also featured models representing the University of Tennessee. In addition to the formal dress sale and fashion show, there was a silent auction which included prom-related gifts such as tanning and limo packages. 100-percent of the proceeds benefited HOP’s mission in Boucan-Carre, Haiti.
HC: How much money did you raise?
Katie Riley: The event raised just over $6,000! We have actually had a lot of people ask to see the dresses again and continue the shopping so we might make even more!
HC: What inspired you to become involved in Haiti relief? Were there any specific stories that touched you?
KR: I got involved with Haiti when I was in high school, and a few of my friends had started a “Haiti Club.” We did small-scale fundraisers and generally worked on raising awareness. I know the situation in Haiti was a bit of a surprise for some people after the earthquake but anyone coming from my high school knew that Haiti needed help long before this year. The summer before my senior year, I received a phone call asking if I wanted to go to Haiti. The trip was planned for the end of July (so hot out!) and our mission was to pick up a boy named Diego and bring him back to the United States. Diego was around 13-years-old at the time, with the physical build of a 4-year-old. Illness early in his life and malnutrition had contributed to his size. We spent a week helping with anything that was needed in Boucan Carre, and then brought Diego home with us. Words can’t describe the experience. I saw so many things I never could have imagined while I was there, and seeing Diego’s eyes be opened to what possibilities there are in the world was both fascinating and devastating. Can you imagine coming from a place like Haiti to the United States but then having to go back? It was awful.
HC: Was it difficult planning a fundraiser of this magnitude? How were you able to get the participation you needed to be successful?
KR: I don’t want to say it was difficult as much as time-consuming. There were so many little details required for this event that I never thought of. You have to consider everything from what color napkin is on the table to what part of the dress we will attach the price tag to, to where we put the trashcans. There were just so many details to consider! Thankfully, people have been amazingly generous with their time and talents. Most of the planning committee for this event was made up of my closest friends. Others were people who heard about our organization and just wanted to help make a difference. Everyone involved has been very genuine about wanting to make a difference in Haiti.
HC: What was your favorite or most rewarding part about doing this for Haiti?
KR: More than planning the event, I really enjoyed getting to know the other people that were volunteering. We had a main committee of seven people (plus me), and a volunteer team of about 18. Of the 26 people I just mentioned, only four have had any previous involvement with the Haiti Outreach Program. On top of all of them, we also had 24 models that have never been exposed to our mission. It was amazing to see all of these people from different backgrounds come together and become friends with each other, and get excited for a cause together.
HC: What were the highlights of planning such an event?
KR: My favorite part of this event was definitely seeing it all come together. We had a few bumps in the road in terms of planning and there were times when I was afraid it just wasn’t going to work at all. Seeing a line out the door for people to come in, watching people’s faces when they saw their perfect dress come down the runway, seeing girls get so excited when they found something that made them feel like a princess—it was the coolest feeling. Yes, we made a huge difference for the people in Haiti that day, but we made some girls in Knoxville feel really special too.
HC: Even though it has been several weeks since the earthquake, help is still needed. What advice would you give to college students who would like to contribute to Haiti relief or even organize their own fundraiser?
KR: The biggest piece of advice I can give is that any little bit helps. For just $100 you can send a child to school for a year, and that’s really not a lot of money at all. Take what you’re good at and find a way to apply it to Haiti (or whatever cause you care about). I will never be a doctor—I don’t even have the slightest interest in medicine—but I’m great at planning events, uniting volunteers and getting people excited about something so I have found a way to make it work. You can plan something that works in your community too. My sorority sisters love the idea of a dress sale. If you have a lot of friends who like to cook, host a bake sale! Just remember that no contribution is too small.
Sources:
Kristen Calandrelli, Harvard University
Katie Kalil and Briston Sullivan, Her Campus UNH Campus Correspondents
Anni Satinover, Skidmore College
Katie Riley, University of Tennessee