September 19, 2001
Meredith Herald
Campus News
Meredith students rally together, help vic
tims of attack with button campaign
□ The goal is one
million.dollars over
the next few weeks.
That means selling
too many buttons to
count.
Christina Holder
Editor In Chief
There is a button factory in
Meghan Griffith’s dorm room.
Over the past week the
Meredith sophomore has been
recruiting friends to assemble
red, white and blue felt star
buttons on the floor of her
room.
Grifilth. launched the button
campaign, called Wings of
Hope, this week in response to
the growing need of relief
efforts for victims of last Tues
day's terrorist attacks in New
York City and Washington,
D.C. and to encourage unity
among Meredith community
members.
Last week Griffith got a call
from her friend Christy Sander
son. a graduate of Meredith
who works with Griffith at
Operation Toy Box, a local
non-profit organization that
provides gifts for children dur
ing the Christ^mas season.
“Meghan, what is Meredith
College doing?” asked Sander
son.
Griffuh took that question to
a meeting last Thursday night
with the Meredith College Ser
vice Council, an organization
comprised of class presidents
and service representatives
where the groups discussed
Meredith community
donate larger sums.
can
American
Mary mount
how the Meredith community
could help with relief efforts.
From her
experience
working for a
non-profit,
Griffith
thought the
most signifi
cant help the
campus could
give was
through mone-!
tary donations.
Thus, the
button factory
opened for
business.
Griffith,
members of
the Service
Council and
other students
began assem
bling the but
tons, and by
Tuesday, Sept.
IS, they had
made close to
300.
Yet they are
determined to
keep going.
Their goal is
high-a mil-1
lion dollars
worth of but-Sophomore Meghan Griffith sells the felt star buttons in
tons over the Belk Dining Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 18. Proceeds from the
next few sale will go to the American Red Cross and Marymount
weeks. Manhattan College
O
Those are a
lot of buttons
considering
each one only costs a dollar.
However, the price, is more
of a formality than an unbend-
able rule. Members of the
“What’s a dollar?,” said
Griffith. “It’-s a Coca-Cola. It’s
a load of laundry. It's nothing.”
Donations will go to the
Red Cross and
Manhattan Col
lege in New
York, a
women’s col
lege whose stu
dent body was
significantly
affected by last
week’s events
considering it
draws the
majority of its
students local-
*y-
Griffith and
other students
have been sell
ing the buttons
in Belk Dining
Hail during
meals.
However,
donation jars
are in resi
dence hall par
lors. Residence
directors of
each dorm also
have envelopes
on their doors
in which stu
dents can place
money. Cam
pus Security
will be selling
the buttons at
the guard house
for $10 to visi
tors to campus.
However,
Griffith and
others selling
the buttons want those who
wear them to think about the
importance of unity.
“We have to work together,”
Photo By Chbistih* Holoeb
Register for the
Leadership Enrichment Series
and be recognized at Leadership Awards Day
The Leadership Enrichment Series takes place every Wednesday in October from 6:30-8:00 p..m. in Kresge Auditorium.
This year s series includes the following sessions:
"Ethical Leadership Panel and Reception"
Wednesday. Ociober 3
''Resiliency: A Necessary Trait (or Women Leaders"
Wednesday. October 10
•'Don't Be a Humpty Oumpy!"
Wednesday, October 17
she said- “This is going to
affect people’s lives forever.”
Yet there are still a lot of but
tons to make and sell.
That is why Griffith is
recruiting as many people as
she can to help.
She has even got the Presi
dent’s Office in on it, making
the buttons “on their lunch-
break,” according to Griffith.
But those are not the only
groups that Griffith is calling
on to help. Walmart has donat
ed $1,000 to the campaign.
Service oi^anizations at North
Carolina State University and
Peace College are joining. The
Boy Scouts and the Giri Scouts
want to help.
Now that’&.a lot of people in
one dorm room--but a million
dollars is not looking so far off
now.
If you are interested in join
ing the button campaign, con
tact Griffith at (919) 760-2482
or email at
on_wings_of_hope@hot-
mail.com>.
'Character Leadership: Who Are You in the Dark?'
Wednesday. October 24
If you are /nferes/ed or would uke to see a brochure, came by the OHice of Student Acr/vii/es and Leadership Develop
ment. 202 Cate Center.