By Troy Brooks
Would you like to help enrich the lives of local children? Here’s your chance.
Students at Appalachian State University’s social work department are raising money to send two middle schoolers on a summer educational trip to Oregon in June of 2016. They aim to raise $5,000 in scholarships through Nov. 10, and you can help them reach their goal by making a donation online.
The fundraiser is part of the social work students’ assignment for a course entitled “Social Work Practice with Groups,” in which they have been asked to identify and address a small-scale need within a community, population, agency, family or individual.
“One of my fellow students contacted a local school and heard about two students who wanted to go to Oregon,” said Stephanie Allman, an ASU senior majoring in social work. “They were not able to afford it, so we decided to reach out to them.”
The trip will take local middle school students on a trip to travel from the volcanic mountains to the western coast of Oregon. They will participate in hiking, kayaking, camping in a yurt and through hands-on experience learn about the discoveries of Lewis and Clark, the state’s history, nature and more.
The ASU social work students don’t want these local middle schoolers to miss this opportunity to travel, develop interests in national history and the environment or to develop skills for working with others in a variety of settings.
“It’s an opportunity that they may never have again in the future. These students don’t have the financial meansto take part in a trip like this,” Allman said. “I can relate with them on a personal level and know what it would mean to them to be able to go. As far as education, it gives them a chance to explore the culture of the western U.S. and be with their fellow classmates.”
The department will be accepting donations through Nov. 10 online through its “Invest in a Future” page on GoFundMe.com. For more information, visit the program’s Facebook page.
“We’ve raised over $1,000 so far,” said Allman. “I feel that we’ve made some headway the last few days, but we’re still trying to make connections with the local community and get the word out.We appreciate all the support we can find.”