Craving a burger and fries, a slice of pizza or maybe a smoothie? For most UA students, these items can easily be purchased. However, for many children in Alabama, that simply isn’t the case.
A group of advertising and public relations students are encouraging the campus community to help in their efforts to fight childhood hunger through Cheers for Change, a week-long fundraiser benefiting Alabama Credit Union’s Secret Meals For Hungry Children.
Created in 2008, Secret Meals For Hungry Children is a nonprofit organization that works to combat childhood hunger in Alabama. Twenty-two percent of children in the state live below the poverty line and rely on free and reduced meals provided at school. To prevent identified children from going hungry at home over the weekend, Secret Meals discreetly provides food packs before the weekend to more than 1,600 children.
UA’s advertising and public relations program has worked with Secret Meals since 2011. As part of the APR 419 course, students create projects or events that support the organization and spread awareness of its cause. Since teaming up with Secret Meals, UA students have raised more than $138,000, which fed 1,160 children.
“We developed Cheers for Change to attract students and the campus community to support Secret Meals, because we found that most college students have no idea how hunger is affecting their local community.” Claire Coleman, group liaison for Cheers for Change.
Starting Monday, April 2, UA student and Greek organizations will compete in a virtual change war to raise the most money. Totals for each participating organization will be calculated at the end of each day and a leaderboard will be posted on Cheers for Change’s Instagram page. The winning organization will receive cookies from Insomnia Cookies.
On Tuesday, Cheers for Change will have a table set up from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Ferguson Student Center to boost awareness. The group will also accept donations during this time.
Cheers for Change will conclude on Friday with a celebration on the rooftop of Rounders, located at 1215 University Blvd., from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event is open to the public and wristbands are $8 before the event and $10 at the door. Hot dogs and snow cones will be available for attendees.
To support an organization competing in the virtual change war, purchase a presale wristband for Friday’s event or make a donation to the cause, visit Cheers for Change’s Venmo page.