Peace and World Concerns: new perspectives of the world
During the week of April 23 through April 27, Peace and World Concerns will be hosting a raffle in the lobby of Pearson’s Hall to raise money for water purification systems in the Dominican Republic. For every dollar donated, a ticket is given for the raffle. The top prize is an ENO hammock, but other prizes will be available as well.
Although a fun event, the main goal of the raffle is to donate money to Project Las Americas. This project partners with the Safe Water Alliance to provide household water filtration systems to families in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. For every $60 donated, a water filtration system is given to a family in need.
Peace and World Concerns hosts many events year round. On March 14, they led the campus-wide walk-out. Although some schools decided to make a political statement with their walkouts, Maryville College promoted peace and a sense of community on our campus.
“It was really inspiring to see the school gather together for something so meaningful,” said sophomore Kaylie Dawe, a student who participated in the campus walk-out. “Our world is going through some rough stuff right now, but it’s important that we are there for each other, especially in the hard times.”
Last November, the club also hosted a car campout to raise awareness about homelessness in Blount County. Peace and World Concerns members, as well as other students, joined together to listen to the Rev. Dr. Ann McKee, MC Campus Minister, who informed them of the homelessness population in the county. Students also gathered around the fire while roasting marshmallows since it was the coldest night of the year.
Although students had access to luxuries like fire, marshmallows, restrooms and warm blankets, they still caught a glimpse of what some families are forced to do each night.
“The car campout had an impact on me because it is a realistic scenario that homeless people in Blount County go through,” said junior Ariel Kaylor, co-chair of Peace and World Concerns. “We did it on one of the coldest nights of 2017. We encouraged people to think about whether or not to start their car and what it would be like if they didn’t have enough gas for the day. I won’t sugar coat it. It wasn’t glamorous, and I didn’t sleep well. However, it gave me a new and more understanding perspective on what homeless people really face, and it made me so thankful for the blessings that I have.”
The club will be hosting another car campout on April 27 at 9:30 p.m. in MC Brown Parking Lot. It will consist of s’mores, a guest speaker and breakfast for those who stay the entire night. Since the raffle for the water purification systems ends the same day, the winners will be announced at the car campout.
Raffle week: April 23-27
Car campout: April 27 at 9:30 p.m.
Raffle winners announced: April 28-29