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News Students bring UNICEF to 'Hurst
By Casey Greene Managing editor The United Nation’s Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, has made its way onto the Mercyhurst College campus with the help of several ambitious students. Sophomore Marta Baran, President of the UNICEF campus
initiative, has worked hard over the last year to develop a Mercyhurst chapter
of Her hard work paid off last term when Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) officially recognized the group. Baran, an international student from Poland, said she decided to form a UNICEF group because of the good she has seen the organization do in her home country. "UNICEF helped a lot of people in Poland for many years," Baran said. "I found out about it and thought it’d be great to have a campus initiative that could benefit people in Erie." The group is currently working with the International Institute of Erie, which provides "resettlement services for refugee families" and "a variety of other multicultural and national services," according to its Web site. The goal of the institute is to "help families learn the language and culture of their new country, and become self-sufficient, says its Web site. Baran said many of the families at the institute were forced out of their native countries due to war or political unrest. Baran along with seniors Kevin Burns and Payton Olverd "adopted" a family from Uzbekistan at the institute earlier in the year. "It is not that they are poor," Baran said. "They have just found themselves in a bad situation because of political problems in their home country." The group visits the family at least three hours every week but often spends more time with them. "We just want to spend time with them and make them feel comfortable," Baran said. Baran, Burns and Olverd work on improving the family’s English and answering questions about living in the States. The students help the family organize their finances including taxes, applying for and finding jobs as well as settling into a home. "It’s really just about dedicating time to helping others in need," Baran said. The UNICEF campus initiative has started its work at the institute, but Baran said the group will help the Erie community in many ways. "We’re a new group," Baran said. "We are still organizing and planning but we want to help in as many ways as possible." For their first fundraiser, the club sold cookies and chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine’s Day. Baran said the group is organizing a donation drive in early May. The group will be putting bins along Briggs and Lewis Avenues and asking students to donate goods as they begin moving out of their apartments for the summer. Baran said, "Students get rid of so much stuff when they move. That stuff can help families at the institute. The refugee families who come to the institute have nothing. They have to go solely on charity." The UNICEF campus initiative hopes to make the donation drive their first, official event but plans to do much more next year. The group will hold a meeting in Zurn 114 on Wednesday, April 16, at 8:15 p.m. Students interested in getting involved are encouraged and welcome to come. "We would like to see more support," Baran said. "We welcome any new ideas, contacts or students who just want to help."
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