Project Kindle, a nonprofit organization that provides programs for families affected by HIV and AIDS and educates young adults about the disease, will be Dance Marathon’s 2009 beneficiary, group members announced Wednesday.
“The impact of our money will be far-reaching,” said Medill junior Carley Ribet, DM public relations co-chairwoman. “You’re not only helping those families who are affected by HIV and AIDS, but money will also go to programs that educate people about AIDS.”
Evanston Community Foundation, an organization that provides grants to local programs, will be DM’s secondary beneficiary for the 12th year in a row and will receive 10 percent of the money raised. The foundation directly involves the Evanston community with DM and allows students to give back to the community, Ribet said.
When choosing the main beneficiary for DM 2009, all 22 members of the DM executive board had to agree, said DM co-chairman Phil Reich. Potential beneficiaries submitted applications and were evaluated on need, volunteering opportunities and how it “fits with the culture of our campus,” he said.
Project Kindle, which also applied to be the beneficiary last year, has programs that relate to many college students, Reich said. The organization visits college and high school campuses to educate students about HIV and AIDS.
These programs include Camp Kindle, a summer camp for kids affected by HIV and AIDS; SPEAK OUT, a public speaking program for children whose lives are impacted by HIV or AIDS to share their experiences at schools; the “I Know!” Initiative, a compilation of different media, including journals and paintings, to educate kids about the disease and prevention; and the Students Affected by AIDS Scholarship Fund. The programs also work to erase the stigma caused by HIV and AIDS, said Brett Avila, the Project Kindle liaison to DM.
Project Kindle was founded in 1998 by Eva Payne when she was a college student. The energy of college students and other young adults still drives the organization – a number of the program participants are college-aged, Avila said.
“It’s really cool to see young people wanting to make a difference, and I think that that’s the thing that Dance Marathon helps to achieve each year,” he said.
One of the DM executive board’s goals next year is to get NU students even more involved with the beneficiary through volunteering, said Liz Banks, DM co-chairwoman.
“There’s always a volunteering aspect to DM, and we wanted to improve on that this year because we think that often gets lost in the fundraising,” the Communication junior said. “The more personal connection you have, the more you’ll know how big of an impact you’re making and the more excited you’ll be to dance.”
Project Kindle plans to create mentoring and tutoring programs as well as social events to let the dancers work directly with the kids, Avila said.
“We want to keep people interested and involved in the cause and give them as much access to the people whom the fundraising is actually going to benefit,” he said. “It’s not just a picture. It’s not just a name on a piece of paper. These are the kids that this money is directly going to benefit.”
