For its outstanding efforts to provide clothing, supplies and monetary support to the victims of Haiti’s devastating 7.0 earthquake last January, the Penn State Brandywine Student Government Association (SGA) was recognized by the National Center for Student Leadership (NCSL).
On Monday, Oct. 18, NCSL named SGA the “Group of the Week” for its initiative, called Cinq, meaning “five” in Creole, the language used by most Haitians, because the students asked community members to donate a mere five dollars each, in addition to other basic needs. SGA collaborated with the campus’ student-run Society of Caribbean Americans (SOCA) and raised more than $400 and collected bags of clothing, household items and baby supplies, which were sent directly to Haiti.
“The president of SOCA (then Kelly-Ann Woods) and I are Caribbean and we wanted to help because something like this could have easily happened to one of our islands,” then SGA President Brittney Walker, a Jamaican national, said at the time. “We would want others to help our families and fellow islanders.”
NCSL provides leadership development for college students and their advisers through online training, certification and conferences. Each week the organization recognizes student groups from colleges and universities across the nation for outstanding campus leadership.