Party With A Purpose

Students and faculty partied together this week to raise awareness and money for children in need throughout the world.

UNICEF at OU, the official campus initiative chapter at the University of Oklahoma, along with the College of International Studies hosted a Halloween party on Wednesday, Oct. 31, in order to raise funds for the charity aimed at helping children all over the globe.

Party goers were encouraged to come in costume to participate in Halloween-themed games and bid on valuable items in a silent auction. Items included an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey signed by Serge Ibaka and OU footballs signed by Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops.

For the past three years, the college has decided to participate in a program called Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, according to Holly Berrigan, head of the Trick-or-Treat committee set up by the College of International Studies.

“The first year we put this event on, we raised $6,000. Every year since then, the money raised has gone down because there wasn’t an organization set up to run the campaign. This year we set a goal of $5,000, but we’re hoping to exceed that goal,” Berrigan said.

The Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign started over 60 years ago to help children abroad during World War II with the organization’s “kids helping kids” slogan, according to UNICEF’s website. The charity has raised more than $167 million dollars since Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF began, in order to provide children in need with clean water, clothes, supplies and health care.

The College of International Studies decided to support UNICEF because the charity focuses on children on a global level.

In past years, the college itself has been in charge of the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, but this year, they decided to create a separate UNICEF student organization to take over all of the events related to UNICEF.

Marrett Hild, president of the UNICEF at OU student organization, along with a friend started the organization last June.

“I wanted to be involved with UNICEF because I felt like it was a really noble organization. Ninety-four percent of the funds raised by UNICEF go directly into the field, which says a lot about the charity. Other organizations that help children don’t give back nearly as much money that they collect as UNICEF,” Hild said.

The Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign is the charity’s biggest and best-known fundraiser throughout the year. The College of International studies has a Halloween party every year, and they started to incorporate the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign into their annual Halloween party.

“Myself and other students involved in UNICEF at OU thought about other things we could include in the Halloween party to raise even more money for UNICEF. That’s how we came up with the idea of the silent auction,” Hild said.

It is especially important for Hild and the other members that the organization raises as much money as they can this year in particular.

“We are partnering with the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF this year. Everything we raise is going to be matched dollar for dollar, so whatever we are able to collect, it’s going to be doubled by the George Harrison Fund!” Hild said.

The Halloween party is just one of many events put on by UNICEF at OU throughout the year to collect money for the charity.

“December is AIDS awareness month, so we’re having a fundraiser in December and collecting donations to help children in other countries who have AIDS and for AIDS prevention,” Hild said.

UNICEF at OU is always taking donations throughout the year for children in need. For more information on the organization and for upcoming events, visit UNICEF at OU’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OUUnicef.