Lipscomb University students wanting to do something to help victims of Hurricane Katrina have started a fundraising project they are calling “Beads for Needs.”
Lipscomb seniors Chris Collins and Robin Clark came up with the idea 24-hours ago as they were watching news accounts of the hurricane devastation.
“We were watching the news and we couldn’t believe what we were seeing. My dad helped with relief efforts during Hurricane Andrew — so I was familiar with how much it means to help these people. It is amazing to me that New Orleans is just gone. We knew we had to do something to help,” said Collins, a political science and management major from Lewisburg, Tenn.
Collins said this morning he brought the idea of selling “Beads for Needs” — Mardi Gras beads — to his social club at Lipscomb and the idea caught on.
“We thought it was symbolic to sell Mardi Gras beads since that is such a symbol of New Orleans. We’re selling the beads for one dollar a piece, so most people can afford to support the effort in this way,” said Collins.
Collins said today he sold 200 “Beads for Needs” in just two hours. He is hoping to enlist friends at other colleges and universities in this project. He said he and his friends have contacted students at about a dozen other campuses in Tennessee and the surrounding states to encourage them to start “Beads for Needs” on their respective campuses.
All proceeds will go to a fund at Lipscomb University that will go directly to hurricane relief efforts through Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort in Nashville. The Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort immediately responds to any major disaster in the continental United States by sending truckloads of emergency food, water, cleaning, and other supplies to disaster victims.
For more information about “Beads for Needs” contact Collins at 931.637.5544.
