Student-organized fundraiser sees success for Haiti

Fifty tables and roughly 200 attendees filled the Bubble during the “Hand for Haiti” flea market February 28.

Organized by Kara Costin, graduate assistant of advancement services, the event raised over $700 for the victims of the January 12 earthquake that struck Port Au Prince, Haiti.

All proceeds will be donated to Forward in Health, an organization dedicated to medical care in Haiti, based out of Gardner, MA. Forward in Health was discovered by Bill Beardslee who then relayed the information to Costin.

The idea for a flea market came to Costin while brainstorming with Melissa Conway, who she used to work with in admissions. “She tossed the idea of an indoor flea market,” said Costin. “She mentioned how it was an idea she wanted to have when she was in school, but was never able to do it.”

Costin was happy with the outcome of the event, but said that advertising problems resulted in a small turnout. She said that two of the main reasons were because there were no newspaper advertisements or flyers around campus.  “Surprisingly, a lot of students showed up though, which is great,” said Costin.

The event, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., had an array of knick-knacks, yard sale items, drinks, baked goods, and fried dough from students, clubs, and local community members.

Brothers Reaching Out (B.R.O.) participated with two different fundraisers for both students and community members. According to President Pete Karas, the fundraiser for community members was a yard clean-up service event that will take place during the spring. “Brothers Reaching Out will go to their house, clean up, and do yard work,” he said.

For students who donated money to the fund, B.R.O. will clean out the inside and outside of their cars. According to Karas, a date for the car clean up has not been set yet.  At the beginning of the semester B.R.O donated over $250 to Forward in Health through a 2010 B.R.O. calendar fundraiser.

 According to Costin, $150 divided among 36 tribes can help provide food for that tribe for a week.

“The purpose of our club is to create positive experiences for our members, and this issue is especially close to home for one of our members, so we're here to help out every one in the club, even if it's indirectly,” said Karas. “We hope that students took advantage of this experience and realize every little bit will make a difference for Haiti.”

Because she believes the event was a success, Costin hopes to produce another flea market in late summer or early fall. "Maybe next time we could donate to a special needs charity or something for children. It's a great opportunity for the school and the community to work together for a cause.”