WISPIRG In The News

By Hannah McClung

^{Isabel Álvarez/The Daily Cardinal}

ASM and WISPIRG declared Thursday a ‘Haiti Day of Action,’ and donation tables were set up all across campus, including at Memorial Union, to allow students to donate to the Haiti relief efforts.

Volunteers from several UW-Madison organizations manned donation tables across campus Thursday to raise money for Haiti earthquake victims.

The day was declared a “Haiti Day of Action” by the Associated Students of Madison and the Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group and consisted of donation tables at eight different locations throughout campus.

Students who did not have donations to give but wanted to help out were given the opportunity to sign up for alternative ways to get involved with the relief effort.

According to Ritika Batajoo, UW-Madison senior and WISPIRG intern, the morning went well at the Memorial Union location, with student and community donations surpassing her expectations.

“The event was a collective effort with a goal of getting as many donations as possible,” she said.

According to Batajoo, throughout the day, more than 80 volunteers worked more than 120 cumulative hours.

Batajoo said the event was not just about money but also geared toward ensuring that all students are informed about the situation in Haiti.

“It is really important to help other people out there because whatever’s going on in Haiti could easily have been us,” she said.

UW-Madison sophomore Natalie Timpone said she decided to volunteer because she wanted to help with the situation and thought she could do more with a group than as an individual.

“It was really great when I heard about the ASM and WISPIRG [event] because I thought that’s something that’s actually going to make a difference,” she said.

According to Timpone, it is important to be able to “pool together” and donate to bigger organizations like Doctors Without Borders and the American Red Cross.

Caitlin Bender, a UW-Madison senior, said she dropped change into the collection container at the Memorial Union location because she has family friends who are affected by the situation in Haiti.

The Haiti Day of Action ended with the WSUM Student Radio Dance Party for Haiti Relief at the Majestic Theatre. All proceeds from the dance will be donated to the Doctors Without Borders Emergency Relief Fund.