Students use Winter Break for charity
Old blankets, a childhood stuffed animal, the birthday card you bought for your aunt last year that you never filled out or sent — Capstone Scholars students are on the lookout for these seemingly useless items.
Jessica Rohr and Tara Mochrie started Break for Change in December to collect donations of the most mundane for local homeless shelters and childrens' homes, as well as a study abroad program.
"The idea for Break For Change was inspired by old organizations that were a part of the Capstone program," said Rohr, a first-year international studies student. "It's kind of a combination of older ideas put together."
Mochrie, a first-year criminal justice student, was inspired to act by the visible homeless population in Columbia.
"It was just something that I'd been thinking about, how we have a lot of homeless people and people in need around Columbia," Mochrie said. "Jessica and I were just talking about it one night and decided to start it."
Capstone Scholars are required to take part in some kind of community service activity each semester, and Rohr and Mochrie created Break for Change to fulfill this requirement and provide an opportunity to others to do so as well. At first, the project was specific to just Capstone House residents, who were asked to bring back any items they could after Winter Break. After Winter Break, Rohr and Mochrie decided to open it up to the entire university.
"We opened the offer to our sorority and the Criminal Justice Council, and now we're opening it to anyone else who wants to help," Rohr said.
The organization collects stuffed animals, new pillows and blank birthday cards for childrens' charity. Blankets are being collected for a homeless shelter, along with hygiene products. Soap, deodorants, toothbrushes and toothpaste are some of the main items the program seeks.
"They don't need to be expensive shampoos or items. Just the tiny bottles are fine," Rohr said.
The study abroad program mentioned travels to Ecuador to focus on community service while abroad. With the high elevations in Ecuador, a lot of the Ecuadorians have cataracts from the sun, so Break For Change is collecting hats and sunglasses to give to the people to help them. It is also trying to collect clothes and shoes, preferably new, but lightly used is also accepted.
The only location of bins at this point is in the Capstone lobby where items can be dropped off.
Break For Change will be taking donations for the next two weeks and plans to wrap everything up before spring break in order to have enough time to sort which donations will be given to which charities.
"We're looking to close the window for donations at the end of February," Mochrie said.
Next year, Mochrie and Rohr are looking to have the same time frame for donations while expanding the locations where items can be accepted.
"I'm sure that Capstone will be one of the places, but we're looking to expand it across campus to any dorms that will let us set up donation spots there," Mochrie said.
Anyone is welcomed to donate items or help them sort the items.