Blog Post 1

Two University of Oklahoma student organizations hosted an event Thursday to mark the end of their three month campaign to raise money for UNICEF.

Students were asked to wear internationally themed T-shirts to Thursday’s “Tee Party” in Hester Hall, where they turned in their donations and ate pizzas donated by Papa John’s Pizza. The event was sponsored by the Arabic Language Flagship Partner Program and the Model United Nations of the Southwest. 

“I love the fact that these two groups that care about the world sort of came together independently to have a fundraising event, to have this drive to help UNICEF,” said Zach Messitte, dean of the College of International Studies.

Fundraising for UNICEF has been a long time tradition for the College of International Studies. But, this year the two student groups decided to take the project and make it their own. 

The organizations distributed orange “trick-or-treat for UNICEF” boxes in late October. OU Arabic Flagship Coordinator Heidi Logsdon said that the national fundraiser usually ends after Halloween, but this year the groups extended fundraising through January. 

“Charitable giving can happen year round, it is not a seasonal thing necessarily,” Logsdon said. 

Unlike other organizations, the goal of these groups was not to raise huge amounts of money but to raise a sense of community. 

“While I think most students are really good about the idea that they are part of a community here in Norman, sometimes it is harder to have that same ‘give back’ internationally,” Messitte said. “So, this is an opportunity for people, who care about people in need all around the world, to give something back.”

UNICEF was created after World War II in December 1946 to help European children obtain food, clothing and necessary medical supplies, according to the UNICEF website. The organization now operates in 190 countries around the world helping children in need. 

“UNICEF is one of the older and well-established nonprofit international aid organizations,” Logsdon said. “They have the ability to reach a very wide scope, a very broad scope of vulnerable populations.”

The trick-or-treat themed change boxes feature facts about the impact of financial contributions to UNICEF. A quarter can provide 10 children with clean drinking water for a day, while $17 can provide a child with the immunizations to protect them from six deadly diseases. 

“The thing is even 25 cents makes a difference. We don’t expect college students to have deep pockets, it is just the idea of community service,” Logsdon said.

 Students lined the walls and formed groups waiting for the pizza to arrive after they dropped of their collection boxes. 

“I think it is really good that people are getting together and getting to know each other and enjoying the success of raising money for UNICEF,” said Cindy Coffin, a member of the Model United Nations of the Southwest. 

 Students who were not able to attend the event are still able to bring their donations in through the weekend. The money will be counted on Monday and then donated to UNICEF. Logsdon said that although the donations won’t be counted until Monday, the drive was successful.

“It’s probably too heavy of a load of change for me to lift up,” she said.