Campaign week for K-State Proud during the spring semester is underway. The week of March 1-5, students can donate to K-State Proud to help Kansas State students who struggle financially.
Typically, the campaign occurs once a semester on campus, but this spring, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it will be held virtually. This has presented some challenges, as the philanthropy group tries to campaign both safely and successfully.
“[We’ve had to] come up with ideas that would get more social media interaction,” Baleigh Fry, senior in athletic training and co-chair of K-State Proud, said.
It’s been helpful in the past, Fry said, for members of K-State Proud to get in front of others and have conversations to explain the goals and missions that organizations are attempting to accomplish.
Fry said one of the major ideas the group has for donations this year is a T-shirt campaign, in which users post pictures in their K-State Proud T-shirts on Instagram and use a hashtag to garner attention for the group, and participating in the daily events on the group’s social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
K-State Proud has been fully funded by the K-State Student Foundation for its 15 active years. K-State Proud aims to help keep students at K-State who otherwise could not afford to do so. Usually, upon a $20 donation at the tables across campus, donors receive a t-shirt.
“They may think they are getting a shirt, but they are really changing someone’s life,” Kelly Wilkerson, alumni and former K-State Proud co-chair, said.
Related:
“Pets
However, this year, since the campaign is virtual, the group made pickup and delivery options available for receiving the shirts. The organization gets a lot of its money from this annual campaign, which makes now a pivotal time for donations. The medium may have changed, but the mission is the same.
“Our core mission is students helping students,” Sydney Henry, senior in finance and marketing and K-State proud co-chair, said.
However, Henry said, alumni and families also contribute frequently as well.
Students in financial need are encouraged to apply for the Foundation’s available Student Opportunity Awards.
