A group of Students Union volunteers are campaigning for every staff and student at the university to give one pound to change a life. Collectively this has the potential to raise £22, 000 for their three charities nominated via student voting.
From the 22 April to the 26 April, a variety of events and donation channels will be opened across campuses by the volunteers. The group of volunteers are part of the Raise and Give committee who fundraise for local, national and international charities reaching a large scope of need.
This year they are supporting Southampton Samaritans who help save many lives a year in the Southampton area by offering support. The Anthony Nolan Trust saves the lives of people with blood cancer by matching them to people willing to donate stem cells or bone marrow; however 12,000 people still die from blood cancers a year in the UK.
Thirdly, they support WaterAid who tackle the issue of unsanitary water all over the world. Diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation kill more children every year than Aids, malaria and measles combined.
If £22,000 is reached and split across three charities then nearly 500 lives can be saved with clean water sanitation implemented by WaterAid, Samaritans could answer 3202 calls from people in crisis and the Anthony Nolan trust could source 1,048 spit kit needed to find vital donors.
The event is being named the Big Give and offers the chance for every staff and student member of the University of Southampton to make a positive impact on someone else’s life. If you are interested in finding out more on how you can support the campaign please email [email protected] or visit www.susu.org/give.