Natalie Croyt
Staff Writer

A new kind of fever is coming to the University of La Verne campus this semester as the Take a Stand Campaign, centered around giving back to the community, debuts on April 3 with a charitable fundraising fair.

The Take a Stand Campaign, has created charitable contributions across campus and is the product of communications major Francine Gobert’s senior project.

It is a fundraising campaign that challenges clubs and organizations on ULV’s campus to raise money for charities.

“I think the most important part of this campaign is that it shows that students actually do care about their community and are raising funds for charity, just like it says in our mission statement,” Gobert said.

Giving back to the community is one of ULV’s main philosophies and Gobert feels that since the Greek organizations at ULV annually raise money for various charities and foundations, the non-Greek organizations should also have a chance to do the same.

While the many clubs and organizations have been raising money for their charities behind the scenes, the fundraising fair on April 3 is a way to openly involve the ULV community.

The fair will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the quad and each organization will host a booth about their charity complete with games, prizes, food and raffles.

“The fair is a way to get people involved in the fundraising,” said Erika Barajas, sophomore chemistry major and Campus Activities Board philanthropy chair. “Instead of the organizations just saying what they are doing, it gets people to be a part of it by being involved in raising the money.”

One such organization that has been working closely with the campaign is the newly formed club called Green Institute for Village Empowerment, which is a non-profit group working to develop the economy through sustainable approaches.

“We will be holding a recycling drive at the fair that will consist of people bringing in items that are not typically recycled, such as shoes and eyeglasses, rather than leaving these items in a dump, which could potentially harm the environment, “ senior environmental biology major, and GIVE spokesman John Skelton said.

Like GIVE, many other organizations on campus are also working towards a sustainable community by promoting and supporting their charities.

Some of the organizations include Iota Delta Sorority who is raising money to support Cystic Fibrosis, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity supporting Lou Gehrig’s disease, Sigma Kappa Sorority supporting Alzheimer’s disease and the African American Student Alliance supporting Sickle Cell disease.

Even organizations off campus have joined in the campaign such as the Fairplex Foundation, Inland Empire United Way, Neighborhood Homework House and the Uncommon Good organization, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the poor and ending the cycle of poverty for low income youth.

“I think that too often we get wrapped up in our own lives and we forget about those who are less fortunate than we are,” volunteer coordinator for the Uncommon Good organization, Nancy Dufford said in an e-mailed statement.

The Take a Stand Campaign is a way to bring greater awareness about how people can give back to the community and it promotes charitable giving in an environment that has the most potential to make a difference.

“It will definitely bring the community together as a whole,” said Cassandra Gonzalez, sophomore anthropology major and public relations chair for Iota Delta Sorority.

“I hope people will show support because it all goes towards people who don’t have a lot already.”

For more information on the Take a Stand Campaign contact Francine Gobert at fgobert@ulv.edu.

Natalie Croyt can be reached at ncroyt@ulv.edu.