When we at Georgetown University’s UNICEF and Student Campaign for Child Survival groups discovered that Fall 2003 had been our most successful semester ever, we weren’t quite sure how to top that. So this spring, we decided to step up our game and go national.
During the weekend of Feb. 27 to March 1, we will be hosting the National Student Conference on Georgetown University’s campus. You are invited to participate in any or all events as we welcome some outstanding speakers to Washington, D.C. Zacharia Akol, a former child refugee from Sudan who now attends Michigan State University, will give a presentation entitled “The Voice of the Child?” Other speakers include Adam Taylor, executive director of Global Justice; Leigh Blake, CEO and founder of Keep a Child Alive and Artists Against AIDS; Erin Tunney, InterAction; and many more.
Organizers have been working for months to ensure that Hoyas and visitors alike have a terrific time. Jackie Smith (COL ’06) and Amanda Gant (SFS ’07) successfully marketed our university as the venue, reserved meeting rooms and secured some truly distinguished guests to talk. But while you only have to walk across campus to attend events, as many as 90 students will be arriving from their respective universities by airplane. Although this is the first time the Hilltop has hosted the annual conference, Georgetown has some staunch children’s rights advocates among both its faculty and alumni. Professor Tony Lake serves on the U.S. Fund for the UNICEF Board of Directors. Professor Madeleine Albright has appeared in ad campaigns for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. When Dikembe Mutombo (FLL ’91) isn’t playing for the New York Knicks, he can be found volunteering as a UNICEF ambassador alongside Sarah Jessica Parker. In fact, it was a Georgetown alumnus who developed and implemented the whole idea of campus UNICEF groups: Bruce Cohen (SFS ’67).
This will be the second consecutive spring that Georgetown’s UNICEF and Student Campaign for Child Survival chapters have worked together on a major event. A year ago, our country was headed for war. Americans, regardless of whether they favored or opposed the war, took issue with Saddam Hussein but not the people of Iraq. Infrastructure had been laid waste by decades of prior wars, poor governance and international sanctions. There was no telling of the humanitarian crises that a war could bring to Iraqi children who made up half of the nation’s 24.5 million people. UNICEF responded by rushing these children preventative measures such as vaccinations, clean water and high-protein biscuits. Our Georgetown campus groups shed light on these issues by hosting a panel discussion, “Minor Casualties: The Impact of War on Children,” broadcast nationally on C-SPAN2.
I believe this month’s National Student Conference will be an even greater success. I know this because I have seen the deep concern Georgetown students have for the well being of all children. The fact that our efforts have been so well received speaks very highly of the Georgetown community:
We raised $1,271 that went directly to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. ost of these donations came in the form of coins or small bills.
We sold $1,965 worth of UNICEF greeting cards and gifts, thanks in large part to the leadership of Yi-Ling Tan (SFS ’04).
We had a blast visiting local elementary schools introducing the kids to the “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” program. Also, for the second year in a row, children participating in the D.C. Schools Project took orange UNICEF boxes door-to-door when they trick-or-treated through Georgetown’s dorms.
The Georgetown Players Children’s Theatre Troupe kindly put on a free benefit show organized by Diana Lee (COL ’04), asking only that participants donate to UNICEF.
We held three well-attended speaker events, including a finale World Children’s Day dinner. The evening event featured a panel of three speakers and received support from a variety of university organizations. When Julia Chan (SFS ’03) and I started Georgetown University’s UNICEF campus group two years ago, we could not have imagined that the generosity of Georgetown students, faculty, staff and neighbors would make it so successful. To date, UNICEF – Georgetown University has raised over $2,500 in donations.
I thank you sincerely for all of your support. Whether you were able to attend every event or to help where you could, you saved children’s lives, and you should be very proud.
The National Student Conference on Feb. 27 to March 1 is an amazing opportunity to learn ways large and small to save children’s lives and build their futures. You’ll be helping to make a difference for kids around the world.
Sean Hawks is a 2003 graduate of the College and is President Emeritus of UNICEF – Georgetown University.