Clubs and programs at MCCC are trying to make a global impact, and you can take part.
From the recent Japanese crisis to the ongoing issue of starvation and poverty, MCCC students and employees are creating easy ways for others to make a difference as well.
International Studies Club:
Money raised for hunger
The International Studies Club on campus recently took donations to combat hunger and poverty through the Heifer International organization.
Through Heifer International, donations can purchase and send livestock to struggling towns. To promote self-sufficiency and group progress, each family must agree to give one of the animal’s offspring to another needy family.
“It’s about getting a whole village off its feet,” said Joanna Sabo, advisor of the International Studies club. “You don’t just plop a cow there and you’re done.”
The club was able to send chicks last year through their fundraising. This year they will be able to send either two sheep or a water buffalo with the approximate $300 raised.
The Heifer International catalog includes 26 different options, ranging from $20 for a flock of chicks, geese, or ducks, to a $10,000 donation towards livestock development.
Sabo said that the club will continue to promote Heifer International every year. Donations can be made at any time and will be saved for the next year’s purchase.
For more information on the International Studies club or to make a donation, contact Sabo at jsabo@monroeccc.edu, or by phone at (734) 384-4297. For more information on the organization, visit www.heifer.org.
Newman Club:
Survivor speaks of genocide
The Newman Club invited a survivor of the Darfur genocide and Sudan civil war to speak at the college April 14 in an attempt to raise awareness.
Abubakar, who goes by his first name only, told a group of nearly 100 people his firsthand experience of Sudan life – being arrested, interrogated, tortured, and nearly killed by his own government.
This same government has caused the deaths of an estimated 400,000 people and the displacement of another estimated 2.5 million people.
To read Abubakar’s story, visit www.mcccagora.com/Sudan-survivor-speaks/.
The Newman Club is a Catholic group on campus that promotes the justice and teaching of Jesus Christ. The club has focused on humanitarian issues and social justice.
“Within the last couple of years, the events have had a social justice theme,” said Mark Bergmooser, one of the co-advisors of the club. “The intent I guess was to do social awareness type things, from homelessness to hunger to even global events.”
Last October the club invited another survivor of Sudan to speak at the college, named Jacob Atem. To read Atem’s story, visit www.mcccagora.com/features/lost-boy-of-sudan-speaks-at-mccc/.
Abubakar said the first step in helping the issue is to raise awareness in yourself and in others.
In terms of aid, Sudan refugee camps are desperate for assistance. For more information on the Darfur issue and how to help, visit www.savedarfur.org.
SME Club:
Aid manufactured for Japan
Several members from the Society of Mathematics and Engineers Club designed a way to aid Japan.
Shortly after the tsunami hit, students thought to create metal cut-outs of Japan using the manufacturing machinery. With a magnet glued to the back, the students sold these pieces for $4 to fund-raise for Red Cross aid to Japan.
Club advisor and instructor of Product and Process Technology Bob Leonard said he usually puts CNN on before his classes start and discusses news briefly with his students, which sparked the idea.
“We started talking about doing something for them because not only did they deal with the tsunami and the earthquake, they’re dealing with aftershocks and a nuclear crisis,” Leonard said.
Jake Roach and Steven Kodysh have done most of the work on the project and can sometimes be found selling the magnets in the A building.
“It’s nice to be able to contribute to something,” Roach said. “People are completely out of homes and they need our help as much as anybody else does.”
For more information on the SME Club or to purchase a magnet, contact Leonard at bleonard@monroeccc.edu or by phone at (734) 384-4114.
Do something
Additional help is needed and can be offered off campus for a variety of issues.
For ideas and information, visit www.dosomething.org. Joanna Sabo suggested contacting the Red Cross or even local churches for volunteer or donation opportunities.
“You can get involved in the International Studies Club here on campus,” Sabo said. “There are also mission trips; there are alternative spring break trips.”
Sabo said even a few dollars sent to an organization such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch can help. She once donated $50, which bought $450 worth of food.
“People don’t realize that with our cost of living, five dollars might mean fifty dollars overseas,” Sabo said. “It pays to just start small.”
In addition, donations are often tax deductable.
As for the projects on campus, support has been gained through students, faculty and staff alike. MCCC President Dr. David Nixon purchased a Japan magnet from the SME club, and gave support to the various clubs for making a difference.
“I commend MCCC faculty and staff who are leading global awareness discussions on campus,” Nixon said. “The learning objective in all of this conversation is for students to realize personal growth by associating with
