BY LIANA KATZ

In print | December 6, 2007

Swarthmore students are known for their active commitment to various causes and making their voices heard throughout the year. Even as the winter holidays approach, many groups and individuals are making a concerted effort to give the needs of others extra thought.

A popular form of holiday gift giving on campus is “adopting a family.” Delta Upsilon has chosen to sponsor one family consisting of a single mother and her two- year-old child. According to DU brother Alex Ginsberg ‘08, the idea was suggested by Tramane Hall ’11, one of the fraternity’s recent pledges.

DU was given a “wish list” for the family, including items such as clothes and toys. Ginsberg did not set an initial goal for how much money he wanted the fraternity to raise, but after some research, he realized that a relatively small amount could go a long way. If the effort is overly successful, Ginsberg hopes that DU will be able to give some of their excess funds to other groups pursuing similar projects.

In addition to setting aside some of the fraternity’s budget for the family, DU brothers have been tabling at Sharples. “People are very giving,” Ginsberg said, commenting on DU’s surprising feat of raising $106 in one day. Ginsberg noted that it is often hard to persuade students to stop and contribute when tabling at the top of Sharples, but he believes that because Adopt a Family gives students a chance to “make a personal impact,” people have been very generous in their donations. “My heart was warmed,” Ginsberg said.

Like DU, Resident Assistants and students living in Willets have also decided to adopt a family. The initiative was encouraged by Max Wilson ’10, who initially volunteered his hall to sponsor a family. According to Willets RA Zebi Brown ’09, enthusiasm from RAs and students alike has been strong. “People have a vague idea of wanting to help,” Brown said, “The [Adopt a Family] project has a limited scope; but gives people the opportunity to do something concrete.”

In addition to adopting a family for the winter holiday season, other groups are reaching out to the community outside of Swarthmore. The Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the Athletic Department are organizing a holiday food drive to benefit needy families in Chester. Up until Dec. 14, students are encouraged to drop off non-perishable food items at the Field House and other locations throughout campus.

Even without an organized effort, supporting a worthy cause can be as easy as the click of a mouse. Many charities and non-profit organizations have added a “click to support our cause” button to their websites, relying on sponsors to donate money each time the button is clicked.

One of the most academically oriented and addictive online donation programs is FreeRice.com. The concept is basically a vocabulary quiz with a purpose other than to be able to use the word “beshrew” in a sentence. With support from various corporate sponsors, FreeRice donates 20 grains of rice for each vocabulary word on-line visitors can correctly identify. According to FreeRice’s website, the rice is then distributed by the United Nations World Food Program, helping the needy “have food to eat, learn skills and find hope for the future.”

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