Karin Chandler/Winonan
Winona State student athletes spent 48 straight hours raising money for Liberia last week.
Each team practiced during their two-hour time slot while interacting with other students to promote their cause.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a student organization on campus, was in charge of organizing and putting on the event, along with Athletes in Action on other campuses. Nick Hoffman, a leader of this organization, talked about the fundraiser’s origins. The fundraiser began in 2010 with Eric Swan, a former Winona State football player.
At a summer camp in Colorado, Hoffman and the Swan brothers met and found other members that were interested.
Fundraisers were then started at Winona State University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Wisconsin. Eric started the program in Winona, and his brother started it in Wisconsin. Hoffman said, “I’m hoping it will spread to other states and it will continue to grow strong.”
The money goes to the H2O Project to help purchase the equipment needed to build water wells. The H2O Project website stated the project’s goal: “To raise awareness of the global need for clean water, and to equip the newly aware with a simple tool for making a difference.”
The H2O project goes to different countries and trains the locals on how to make the water wells. “There should be access to clean water for anyone in the world; it’s a basic necessity,” Hoffman said.
In the last two years, Winona State student athletes raised enough money to build between six and seven water wells, which cost approximately $1500 per well. Just one well can supply a whole village of people with clean water.
Something as simple as water can become something that changes the lives of others. Autumn Robinson, a student athlete, said, “It’s great as a team to go out and give back to your community. It brings people together.”
“Athletes have an amazing stronghold,” Hoffman said. “People look up to them to make a difference. It’s a language that can be spoken anywhere in the world.”
All the Winona State varsity teams helped out, and there were also some club teams that help with the event. The teams that had the graveyard shifts sleep in the tents set up in the courtyard.
Bryan Bradshaw, Winona State quarterback, talked about the purpose of the fundraiser and what they hoped to accomplish.
“Our goal is to raise enough for three wells, yet we are hoping for four,” he said.
Student athletes didn’t mind volunteering to help others in need. Bradshaw said, “I think it’s a good opportunity for us as student athletes. It’s a basic need that we take for granted.”
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