InterVarsity donates to children in Kenya
October 18, 2007
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is giving a voice to those who don’t have one this week.
InterVarsity is hosting “Voices for the Weak” in recognition of AIDS/HIV Awareness Week.
“Lives are at Stake” gave students the opportunity to learn about AIDS and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the King Memorial Commons. During the event, InterVarsity sold orange bracelets for $1 to raise awareness for African children with AIDS.
“We want people to wear the bracelets on Thursday,” said InterVarsity member Rachel Iverson. “The students with the bracelets represent the 5 percent of children in Sub-Saharan Africa that has been affected by AIDS.”
Money collected from the bracelets is donated to Homeless Children International in Kenya. Participants also could place in the ground a picture of a child or parent that has died from AIDS.
“We let [the students] know that they can make a difference,” said Debbie Ficken, community outreach coordinator for InterVarsity. “There are still people out there [with AIDS] like orphans to the elderly, and we can speak out for them to make a difference.”
The awareness week started with the 5K run Saturday and ends with a guest speaker tonight.
“[The awareness week] lets students know there is a large issue of injustice occurring,” said Casey Beckley, campus staff worker for InterVarsity. “It starts with two or three people to make a difference, and students realize that they may feel powerless, but to the world American students are powerful.”