The Student Nurses Association(SNA) is currently hosting a fundraiser for the Kids In Need of Defense(KIND) organization.
The collection started on February 27, and will continue, according to SNA Vice President Itzarely Leyva, “until we reach our goal of $500”.
Leyva added that “SNA has not worked with this organization before, but we hope that SNA members continue to donate to this organization in the future”.
SNA is among the many groups on campus that have held donations for charities and organizations. Other groups include the Drama Club for the Ronald McDonald House, the Green Movement for Wands for Wildlife, Start by Believing for Pillars Community Health, as well as the university itself for the “Miles for Meaning” challenge.
Leyva continued to discuss collections that SNA had done in the past, stating that “This semester we have hosted several events centered around helping and aiding children in need. We did a collection for St. Baldricks which raises money for childhood cancer”.
Leyva added, “SNA also hosted a blanket-making event and those blankets were then donated to a children’s hospital”.
She emphasized that “We love doing anything we can to try and make a difference”.
Hosting collections and fundraisers for organizations such as KIND is crucial for building a sense of community between students and the members of the surrounding area.
The Registered Student Organization(RSO) advisor for SNA Jeanine Reilly, MSN, stated that “The School of Nursing and Health Science is dedicated to promoting the values of the Sisters of Mercy founded on the ideals of education, service and compassion”.
In the future, Leyva stated that SNA hopes to “continue and organize events and collections for those in need. We are always open to suggestions from other SNA members as to what events or collections they want to do”.
The Microsoft Corporation, alongside Angeline Jolie who serves as Co-Founder and Patron, founded the KIND organization in 2008 to “address the gap in legal services for unaccompanied minors” according to their official website.
Leyva stated that “The Kind organization is an organization that helps raise money for immigrant children who lack representation”.
The KIND website continues to state that “Through strategic partnerships, we provide pro bono legal representation for refugee and migrant children across the country”.
Leyva continued to discuss how SNA came across this organization, stating that “We found this organization while we were researching different immigration groups and we loved the purpose of KIND and what they do for the children”.
Reilly stated that the KIND organization “is a non-profit organization that supports pro bono legal representation, social services, and advocacy throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America, and in Europe for refugee and immigrant children”.
KIND has a large outreach with 755 partners, 50,600+ training participants, and over 29,000 kids referred, as listed on their website.
The website continued to state that the organization has “intentionally developed a comprehensive approach within our work to address the multi-faceted needs of unaccompanied migrant children once they are in the U.S”.
“Not only do children come to us in need of legal services, but also often with deep traumas caused by the violence and fear experienced during their forced migration” as continued on the website.
Leyva added that SNA “hopes to see more awareness brought onto the topic of immigration and especially the children who go through this process”. She continued: “We want to show that we CAN make a difference and we are dedicated to helping others as much as we can”.
Reilly added that “SNA hopes to promote an awareness of the need to protect refugee and immigrant children”.
As of March 13, SNA’s collection for the KIND organization has raised $305.
Those who are those interested in donating can visit fundraise.supportkind.org and those interested in learning more about the KIND organization can visit supportkind.org.