In the wake of the Haitian earthquake crisis, UW-Eau Claire students and faculty have been joining together to come up with ways to help. Across campus, organizations have been raising money to provide relief to those affected by the natural disaster.
Student Senate was the first group on campus to hold an event, with the Haiti Day of Action on Jan. 28 and 29. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, the group set up a table in Davies Center to accept donations. The Day of Action followed a similar event set up by UW-Madison and was also reproduced at UW-Whitewater.
In an e-mail to The Spectator, Emily Fiedler, Director of University Activities on Student Senate, reported a total of $185.38 collected in two days. That money will go to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, she said.
Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma, both first-year scholastic honor societies on campus, also held two events to raise money for Haitian relief.
“One of the things that the group did in the wake of the Haitian earthquake was they challenged their members to bring money to a meeting and then matched it from the organization,” said Paula Stuettgen, the societies’ adviser.
They raised about $63 at the meeting, Stuettgen said, and the organizations doubled that amount out of the scholarship fund.
The honors societies also asked for donations at the library, in exchange for Valentine’s Day cookies, she said. The groups hand out snacks every year, so this was a way to try to earn money through something they were already doing.
“It has been tradition that . the first-year honor society students hand out little munchy-type things at the library periodically, just to encourage people to study and to promote awareness of their honors societies,” Stuettgen said. “. They were thinking, ‘Well, jeez, as long as we’re handing out cookies at the library for Valentine’s Day, why don’t we ask if people will just give a freewill donation for the Haitian earthquake relief?'”
The organizations collected close to a couple hundred dollars through all their efforts, she said, and that money will go directly to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund.
Coming up, “Hotcakes for Haiti” will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in The Terrace of Davies Center. For a $5 ticket, anyone from campus or the general public can enjoy pancakes served by Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich, Provost Patricia Kleine and Assistant Vice Chancellor Beth Hellwig, among others.
There will also be an a cappella concert on Monday, with groups Audacious, Fifth Element, Impromptu, The Innocent Men and Girls Night Out. “Help for Haiti: Voices Raised in Hope” begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free, although donations are encouraged.
At the beginning of next month, a Yoga Benefit will also be held in McPhee in an effort to continue collecting money to help with the crisis. Yoga Alliance certified instructor Patricia Wickman came up with the idea, having previously held a yoga fundraiser at the Notre Dame campus in Indiana.
“I have been wanting to use yoga for fundraising for Eau Claire ever since we arrived here four years ago,” she said. “. Yoga itself molds itself to community and social global issues, so I think it would be a really great avenue for raising money.”
The event will include yoga classes from 1 to 3 p.m. on March 6, followed by a belly dance performance from 3 to 3:30 p.m. and finally a dance party until 4 p.m. There will be a table with four to five baskets for different relief funds, along with explanations of what those funds will go toward, and those who attend will be able to choose which one to contribute to, Wickman said. There will also be a basket for those who are undecided. The suggested donation is between $5 and $50, she said, but “If they want to donate a dollar, that’s fine; they can come.”
In addition, indie band Bon Iver will have CDs for sale at the benefit, with the proceeds going to a music school in Haiti that lost all of its instruments in the earthquake.
Anyone who is unable to attend the Yoga Benefit but would still like to donate money can contact Wickman at 715-529-3061.
For the latest news on upcoming fundraising events for Haitian relief, go to http://www.uwec.edu/News/Haiti.htm.
