As students on campus take part in Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day festivities, various Registered Student Organizations are looking forward to fundraising opportunities during the annual celebration.
Representatives from some of the RSOs that will be selling items around campus to raise money for a variety of causes said the event will breed good moods, which will induce donations to their groups.
“People will be in a good mood and willing to donate,” said Shalin Desai, freshman in LAS and a member of South Asian Pre-Health Association, or SAPHA.
Desai’s group will be raising money on Green Street Friday and Saturday for Child Survival India, an organization that provides health care to children in India.
Members plan to sell green wristbands for $2 that read ‘SAPHA’ on one side and ‘Health is Wealth’ on the other.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Along with the South Asian Pre-Health Association, other groups such as Alternative Spring Break and the co-ed honors fraternity Phi Sigma Pi plan to sell items on Green Street as well.
Alyssa Wright, member of Phi Sigma Pi and sophomore in LAS, said her fraternity chose to sell green leis on campus because of the large number of people who are usually out during Unofficial, specifically on Green Street. The fraternity will be collecting donations to support its Relay for Life team, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that raises money for cancer research and awareness.
While Green Street is popular, Kristen Marie Wanderlich, Alternative Spring Break coordinator and junior in LAS, said her organization is also planning to sell dollar shamrock cookies near fraternities on campus to raise money for trips and volunteering projects across the country.
“We’re going anywhere we can raise a little money,” Wanderlich said. “We hope a green shamrock can provide some festivity and support a good cause.”
FeelGood-UIUC, a group that aims to fight world hunger, is also sticking with selling food, said Shilpa Viswanath, member of the organization and sophomore in LAS.
The group plans on selling grilled cheese sandwiches on the Quad for $1 from 11 p.m. to 2 p.m. to raise money for The Hunger Project, an organization that donates money to stop world hunger. While the group typically sells 14 to 15 sandwiches an hour during a regular fundraising day, Viswanath said the group hopes to sell about 20 sandwiches an hour on Friday.
“We did this last year, and we raised a lot of money,” Viswanath said. “We expect a lot of revenue.”
Although some people may be intoxicated and act belligerently, Viswanath does not think it will affect her group.
“Hopefully they’ll know, ‘I shouted at a group to end world hunger,’” she said.
