Haiti relief drive exceeds expectations

ASLCC and OSPIRG surpass fundraiser goal in one week

By: Eder Campuzano

Posted: 2/4/10

In four days, ASLCC and OSPIRG surpassed their two-week goal of raising $500 in relief funds for Haiti. Due to the unforeseen outpour of support, the student organizations raised the bar to $1,000. That goal was exceeded by Wednesday of the following week.

The drive began Jan. 19, exactly one week after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean nation, demolishing the capital of Port-au-Prince and leaving thousands dead or wounded and millions homeless.

When they heard the news, ASLCC Senator Kienan Wear and OSPIRG Campus Organizer Mike Reagen organized a campus donation drive to raise funds for victims of the disaster.

"We wanted to spring into action right away," Reagen said. "This is what our campaign is all about."

The first phase of the relief effort was the installment of a donation box in the cafeteria. Once that outlet was available, the donations started pouring in.

"I was actually surprised at the outpour of support we received," Wear said. "Everyone just wanted to help."

By the end of their first week of fundraising, the organizations had surpassed their two-week goal of $500, but, according to Reagan, "the numbers don't tell the whole story."

The money in the donation box would be secured at the end of each night before ASLCC and OSPIRG students went home for the day. When volunteers showed up in the morning, donation money would be sitting in the box.

According to Wear, it may have only been a few dollars and some loose change, but it proved how passionate students were about the cause.

"Students just needed that outlet and we provided it to them," he said.

Phase two of the fundraiser was the bake sale conducted by ASLCC and OSPIRG Jan. 27. The event started at 9 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m. In those six hours, the relief effort raised $540, once again surpassing the drive's goal. A total of $1,247 was raised during the two-week period.

The funds are being delivered to the Oregon Pacific chapter of the Red Cross on Bethel Drive. The money will be deposited into an account set up solely for the purposes of providing relief to Haiti.