Athens, Ga. – The students and community at the University of Georgia have raised more than $45,000 to provide support for the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Since the earthquake struck, more than 100 campus organizations have banded together to help those in need.
Dawgs for Haiti, a campus-wide initiative organized by Volunteer UGA, is coordinating the relief efforts. Student organizations that have pledged their support to Dawgs for Haiti are answering the call for help by organizing multiple fundraisers. Benefit concerts, discussion panels, percentage nights at local restaurants and bake sales are scheduled through the next few weeks.
UGA President Michael F. Adams helped the Dawgs for Haiti initiative by volunteering to sell t-shirts on campus. T-shirt sales have been a significant fundraiser among the student body with 3,000 sold.
Student organizers hope to blanket the Athens community with royal blue ribbons as a show of support. Stephen Dorner, executive director of Volunteer UGA and director of Dawgs for Haiti, hopes that the blue ribbon campaign will bring the entire university and Athens community together in support of the victims of the earthquake.
“The blue ribbon represents the blue of the Haitian flag as our symbol of support,” said Dorner. “Businesses around Athens are helping us spread that symbol to the citizens of Athens by requesting donations in exchange for a ribbon.”
UGA alumni and friends outside of Athens are also lending a hand by spreading the word, encouraging donations and ordering t-shirts through the Dawgs for Haiti Web site.
All proceeds from the Dawgs for Haiti campaign will be donated to the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. Online donations and t-shirt orders are accepted at the organization’s Web site, dawgsforhaiti.uga.edu/.
Administered by UGA’s Center for Leadership and Service, Volunteer UGA is a community of service-based student organizations at the University of Georgia. With 35 current member organizations,it is a strong force for promoting and providing service opportunities on the UGA campus.Volunteer UGA is dedicated to encouraging, shaping and supporting a culture of service within the University of Georgia and Athens-Clarke County communities.It aims to strengthen collaboration among service groups, connect interested students with volunteer opportunities and provide the tools necessary for the success of service organizations on campus. Volunteer UGA’s major annual events include a kickoff for recruiting students to service, a community retreat for facilitating collaboration among its members and a service day in which hundreds of students participate in service projects throughout Athens. Volunteer UGA has worked with many Athens agencies to help better the community, including HandsOn Northeast Georgia, Sandy Creek Nature Center, Oasis Catolico and Nuci’s Space. For more information, see volunteeruga.uga.edu.
