WALTHAM - A historic Brandeis University community service project is closing its doors for the school year, but not without a strong finish.
Waltham Group, founded in 1966 in the heyday of social activism, generally follows the hippie-era mantra "Think globally. Act locally," said Brandeis Director of Community Services Diane Hannan. But it broke from tradition this year to participate in the BluePack Project, a national program that purchased fully-stocked blue backpacks for the schoolchildren of Afghanistan.
"It's big in the sense that it brings us from the Brandeis community to the larger community," said Waltham Group Coordinator Jamie Kidd. "It's the first international thing we've done."
In November, Waltham Group held a fund-raiser in The Stein, a campus bar and restaurant. The Princeton Review donated a standardized test prep course worth $1,500, which was auctioned off for $700. More money was raised through ticket sales and other promotions. Collections totaled more than $1,000, enough to purchase 100 BluePacks at $10 each, which was sent along to BluePack Project headquarters. BluePack is run by the Academy for Educational Development, a Washington, D.C-based nonprofit.
BluePacks consist of a blue backpack filled with school supplies and toiletries. Each one includes color pencils, a notebook, slates, an eraser, pens, chalk, soap, a brush and comb and toys such as a ball and jump rope.
By April, the campaign had delivered 40,000 backpacks to Afghan families with children 5 to 9 years old. The Bluepack Project's stated goal is to collect $2 million or 200,000 BluePacks. The kits are produced and assembled as locally as possible to save costs and create local jobs. The first 40,000 were made in Pakistan.
In March, three million Afghan children returned to school. Many school-age children had never received an education under the repressive Taliban regime that the United States toppled last year. Furthermore, a third of all Afghan children are orphans, according to the AED.
"Educating the children is as much a part of building infrastructure as rebuilding the highways," Hannan said. Still, despite Waltham Group's foray into international aid programs, the volunteer organization will continue to focus on the local.
Today is the final day for the annual Points Drive, in which Waltham Group collects non-perishable foodstuffs and toiletries for area charities. Brandeis students with extra money or "points" on their student cards are encouraged to purchase canned goods or other non-perishables and deposit them in boxes outside campus stores.
The campaign allows students to give their leftover points at the end of the year to a good cause with the understanding that unused points are automatically lost anyway.
Funded by student activity funds, Waltham Group boasted about 400 student volunteers last year. Its other programs include blood drives, a companion program for elders, a big siblings mentor program and a weekly tutorial service for Waltham area students.
WALTHAM - A historic Brandeis University community service project is closing its doors for the school year, but not without a strong finish.
Waltham Group, founded in 1966 in the heyday of social activism, generally follows the hippie-era mantra "Think globally. Act locally," said Brandeis Director of Community Services Diane Hannan. But it broke from tradition this year to participate in the BluePack Project, a national program that purchased fully-stocked blue backpacks for the schoolchildren of Afghanistan.
"It's big in the sense that it brings us from the Brandeis community to the larger community," said Waltham Group Coordinator Jamie Kidd. "It's the first international thing we've done."
In November, Waltham Group held a fund-raiser in The Stein, a campus bar and restaurant. The Princeton Review donated a standardized test prep course worth $1,500, which was auctioned off for $700. More money was raised through ticket sales and other promotions. Collections totaled more than $1,000, enough to purchase 100 BluePacks at $10 each, which was sent along to BluePack Project headquarters. BluePack is run by the Academy for Educational Development, a Washington, D.C-based nonprofit.
BluePacks consist of a blue backpack filled with school supplies and toiletries. Each one includes color pencils, a notebook, slates, an eraser, pens, chalk, soap, a brush and comb and toys such as a ball and jump rope.
By April, the campaign had delivered 40,000 backpacks to Afghan families with children 5 to 9 years old. The Bluepack Project's stated goal is to collect $2 million or 200,000 BluePacks. The kits are produced and assembled as locally as possible to save costs and create local jobs. The first 40,000 were made in Pakistan.
In March, three million Afghan children returned to school. Many school-age children had never received an education under the repressive Taliban regime that the United States toppled last year. Furthermore, a third of all Afghan children are orphans, according to the AED.
"Educating the children is as much a part of building infrastructure as rebuilding the highways," Hannan said. Still, despite Waltham Group's foray into international aid programs, the volunteer organization will continue to focus on the local.
Today is the final day for the annual Points Drive, in which Waltham Group collects non-perishable foodstuffs and toiletries for area charities. Brandeis students with extra money or "points" on their student cards are encouraged to purchase canned goods or other non-perishables and deposit them in boxes outside campus stores.
The campaign allows students to give their leftover points at the end of the year to a good cause with the understanding that unused points are automatically lost anyway.
Funded by student activity funds, Waltham Group boasted about 400 student volunteers last year. Its other programs include blood drives, a companion program for elders, a big siblings mentor program and a weekly tutorial service for Waltham area students.
