Tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Younkers at the Meridian Mall, Hope Project volunteers hope to raise $500 through the sale of coupon booklets to support HIV-positive orphans in the African country of Malawi.
Hope Project is an MSU student group which works in collaboration with the non-profit organization Hope Endeavors. Hope Endeavors provides for the needs of 30 orphans in Africa, which includes clean water, nutritious food, medical care and educational and spiritual needs.
Human biology junior Morgan Mclane, a volunteer for Hope Project, said their goal is to mobilize and encourage students to make a difference by providing local volunteer opportunities, such as this Younkers fundraising event. They want to spark student appreciation and awareness for the orphans in Malawi.
Mclane said this fundraising event, called Community Days, is the first of many volunteer opportunities aimed to raise awareness and funds for the Malawi care center.
“This cause is extremely important to me because Hope Project allows me the chance to be an advocate for 30 children without a voice,” Mclane said.
Over the summer, Mclane lived at the care center in Malawi and fell in love with each of these children.
“Statistics are no longer numbers on a page, but faces imprinted on my heart,” Mclane said.
Volunteers will be selling coupon booklets that can be redeemed during Younkers’ sale on Nov. 14 and 15. The booklets cost $5, and all of the money raised will go directly to the Malawi HIV/AIDS orphan care center to meet the daily needs of the 30 children there.
Those who buy the booklets can either redeem the coupons or donate it back to Hope Endeavors to purchase pajamas for the children. Mclane said over the summer, when she was at the care center, she got to see the looks of excitement on the children’s faces as they received a new pair of pajamas from this very event.
The goal of $500 is not just a random number — $500 will provide the needs of a child for an entire year.
Mclane hopes this event will bring awareness of these children to MSU students.
“I want others to know the lasting impact these children can make in their lives, whether it is here at MSU, across the country, or across the world,” Mclane said.
