In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Board decided to host a fundraiser. Over the week of Oct. 28, 2024, hot chocolate and hot apple cider could be purchased for $1.50 outside the gazebo, where all proceeds would go towards hurricane relief.
Despite the inclement weather, they remained open Monday through Thursday, from 11-2.
Sophia Riedel, a third-year History and Law & Society major and secretary of the Board, was one of the event’s main organizers. She was inspired by how our own community had received help in our own time of need.
“The main goal of the event was to raise money for a relief fund. The Liberal Arts is also known as one of the humanities Colleges. Therefore, we want to help people who need it. Also, Winona was affected by flooding in 2007, so this is a chance for us to give back.” Riedel said.
Back in 2007, Winona experienced significant flooding in the area. The flood took several lives and destroyed many homes and businesses. Riedel felt that Winona residents could understand what the people in North Carolina were experiencing.
Many areas in the South were heavily affected by Hurricane Helene, but the focus of this fundraiser was a Hospitality House out of Northwest, North Carolina. The organization works in seven counties in rural North Carolina, providing housing and other resources to the homeless population.
Several of their Scattered Site Housing Program clients have been displaced by the storm. Some of their homes have experienced significant damage and are in need of repairs. Some of these homes are in the Disaster Rebuild Zone, which is areas that encountered significant damage and will require new poles, lines, electrical equipment, buildings and infrastructure after the hurricane.
Erin Farina, a fourth-year psychology major, and president of the Board, enjoyed the leadership opportunities this event presented. Each day, a different college had the opportunity to work the event and raise money. Students had the opportunity to work at the event, even if they were only able to work the table for 30 minutes.
“We just wanted to see how much money we could raise, and how involved we could get people. We put it on very quickly, and so had low expectations, but we ended up raising over $500 which is great,” Farina said. “It’s good for students to be able to step up and help out when they can. There are multiple colleges in Winona, so maybe one starting and doing a little fundraiser could inspire other colleges and schools in the area and make it an annual thing.”
The $500 raised this week will be donated directly to the Hospitality House’s Hurricane Helene Fund, which has a fundraising goal of $400,000.
