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Many West Virginia University organizations are donating their time and effort to the relief program Dollars for Disaster.
The Public Relations Student Society of America liked the idea of helping but wanted to do more than just take donations.
Money is being collected in order to assist those who were affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the country of Haiti, virtually destroying its capital city, killing thousands and leaving many more in need of medical attention.
That’s why the PRSSA, which is based out of the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, teamed up with Underground Printing to sell T-shirts for the WVU basketball game versus Villanova, with all proceeds going to Haiti.
"We saw all the other student organizations doing Dollars for Disaster, but rather than taking donations, we wanted to help out in a more creative way," said Justin Hough, a senior Public Relations major and the president of PRSSA.
Hough teamed up with PRSSA’s other executive officers, community service chair Chelsey Hathaway and advisor Dr. Rita Colistra to come up with a plan to help shortly after the disaster in Haiti occurred.
"We were on the phone the very next day (after it happened)," Hathaway said.
The group negotiated with Underground Printing, who sold the shirts to PRSSA for 50 percent less than the usual price after learning the proceeds were going toward a good cause. Hough and his team decided to sell 100 shirts for $10 each.
This is not the first time the organization has made an impact on the community.
The shirts for this fundraiser were purchased using a grant that was awarded to PRSSA for outstanding community service during the last school year.
Because the club used the grant to fund the event, they won’t have to cover the cost of the shirts, meaning 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross.
"We chose the Red Cross because they’re kind of the big (charity) for distributing funds, so rather than giving to just one organization, they will help out a lot of different organizations," Hough said.
The club began the T-shirt sale Tuesday in Martin Hall, selling a dozen T-shirts in two hours.
Hough and Hathaway both have confidence that the others will sell out, and up to $700 will be donated to the Red Cross.
"It’s a two-for-one deal," Hough said. "You can show your school spirit and support a good cause at the same time."
"Any student should be willing to purchase a shirt," Hathaway said.
The shirts will be available in the Mountainlair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday. To reserve a shirt, contact Hough at wvuprssa@gmail.com.
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