Scranton

Penn State Worthington Scranton students and faculty help Haiti

Members of Penn State Worthington Scranton’s Community Human Service Organization (CHSO) knew they had to do something when they heard of the devastating earthquake that recently hit Haiti, destroying buildings and killing thousands, especially when it became known that two of their fellow students have relatives who live in Haiti.

So, they banded together and came up with two opportunities for themselves and the Worthington Scranton campus community to contribute to the relief that the American Red Cross is providing.

CHSO members Erika Mills and Andrea Summa helped organize the events, putting them together within days, said Matt Mutchler, CHSO adviser and assistant professor of human development and family studies (HDFS) at Worthington Scranton.

The first event the students participated in was a Spin-a-Thon organized by the Red Cross at Brown’s Gym in Clarks Summit, where close to 20 Worthington Scranton students and three faculty members peddled for two hours between the hours of 5 and 7 a.m. on Jan. 19. The Spin-a-Thon was covered live by local television WNEP-16, and students Geraldine Ferrer and Ellen Alexandre, who both have family members in Haiti, were interviewed by reporter Ryan Leckey. It was designed to raise awareness of the Red Cross’ activities in Haiti and how people can donate. The event was televised live on WNEP-TV’s morning new’s program’s Leckey Live segment. Videos of the event, labeled Helping Haiti, can be viewed at http://www.ryanleckey.com/leckey-live-videos/ online.

The Spin-a-Thon was designed to give people ideas about what they could do to raise funds for people in Haiti, said Charlotte Wright, director of community affairs for the American Red Cross of Lackawanna County.

“With the PSU students and students from local high schools, we were able to give viewers ideas for similar fundraisers,” she said.

Throughout the broadcast, viewers were able to contact the Red Cross to donate during the program, and those funds will be combined with other monies that are being raised for Haiti by the Red Cross.

The students also quickly organized a second campus fundraiser, “The Paw Peddle”.

For the next two weeks, CHSO club members will sell paper Nittany Lion paw prints for $1 in the cafeteria during lunch hour. The paws, which are inscribed with the purchaser’s name, are then displayed in the windows of the campus’ View Café in the Study Learning Center.

In the first two days of the effort the group raised more than $150. All proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to the American Red Cross’ fund for Haiti.

Pictured above are Worthington Scranton students and faculty who paricipated in a recent Spin-a-Thon with the American Red Cross of Lackawanna County to raise money and awareness for the earthquake victims of Haiti. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated November 18, 2010

Contact