Sororities and student organizations chip in to help different causes
Kim Borkowski
Equinox Staff
Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but the holiday efforts made by Keene State College students are still “giving” to the world.
A few KSC clubs and organizations did fund raisers for the holiday in order to raise money and give for the greater good, while another student sold a sweet treat as an effort in starting her own business.
According to History.com, it became very popular in the middle of the eighteenth century for friends and lovers to exchange handwritten notes along with other little gifts to express their affection for one another. This trend continued and still exists today, as seen on the Keene campus. One sorority, Delta Xi Phi, sold silk roses in the L.P. Young Student Center leading up to Valentine’s Day.
Rachelle Poirier, who said she recently became in charge of funding for the sorority, explained Delta Xi Phi has been selling roses every year on campus. Poirier said her sorority bought the roses themselves, and all of the proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.
“Selling the roses is good on different levels: they’re great for last minute, they’re nice to buy for someone that’s just a friend, they’re cheap and I know everyone’s on a budget, plus they’re for a really good cause,” Poirier concluded.
A new club on campus, the Fair Trade club, took a different approach to giving in spirit of the holiday.
Kelsey Bumsted, the president of the Fair Trade club, said they didn’t receive funding because they officially became a club so recently. However, Bumsted explained the club still wanted to do something for Valentine’s Day.
The Fair Trade club set up a craft table in the student center on Valentine’s Day where students could create their own Valentine card for free. Students hung their cards on a bulletin board above the table in order for people to vote. The winners received their own Fair Trade chocolate. Bumsted explained instead of money being raised for Fair Trade, they are going to send the Valentines to cocoa farmers working in the Dominican Republic for an Equal Exchange farm called CONACADO.
“[Fair Trade] wanted to send Christmas cards to children in an orphanage in Africa back in December, but that never worked out. So, this idea kind of generated off of that. We all thought it was a great idea,” Bumsted concluded.
In addition, another student on campus kept love in the air over the holiday all while trying to start her own business.
Senior Emily Montplaisir baked, sold, and delivered cupcakes to students on Valentine’s Day.
Montplaisir explained she is starting her own cupcake business and found Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to get started.
Montplaisir said she baked and sold cupcakes for 50 cents each, with the help of a friend.
The cupcake baker explained she hopes to one day open her own shop, but is taking advantage of the resources she has here in Keene.
“I have all these people here that can help me get my business started by buying my product and getting the word around. I have friends who are graphic design majors, they helped me with creating my logo and put it on stickers.”
Montplaisir added, “I have all these resources at hand right now, I just had to take advantage of it.”
When Montplaisir spoke of costs, she explained the packaging and labels cost more than the actual ingredients.
“I want it to look very professional, so I have boxes with stickers that have my information and logo on them that the cupcakes are delivered in,” Montplaisir stated.
Montplaisir explained she paid for everything out of her own pocket. However, she added, “You definitely have to give some to earn some, so I’m happy with it.”
Meanwhile, according to a U.S. National Retail Federation survey from 2009, the average consumer spent about $102 on Valentine’s Day gifts for their significant others. With many Keene State College students tight on money, spending over $100 is out of the question.
Over the holiday, KSC students showed their love by giving and receiving roses and cupcakes in a reasonably cheaper manner. Meanwhile, the money from the roses will help fight against cancer, and students who created cards at the Fair Trade table will show they care for those farmers in the Dominican Republic.
Kim Borkowski can be contacted at kborkowski@ksc.mailcruiser.com