A fundraising event for the people affected by the recent hurricanes in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, took place last weekend here in Laramie, Wyoming.
On a chilly and rainy Sunday evening, Ellen Deegan, the president of the Chi Sigma Iota Honors Society, two other society members and a few volunteers were gathered at the Huckleberry’s Sweet Cream Café, located at 3236 E Grand Avenue, Laramie, Wyoming. They were preparing for the hurricane relief fund raising event, which was held in the Café from 2-8 p.m., on Sunday, Oct. 1.
“It’s still raining, but I hope people would come, and we already have heard from 18 people who are planning to visit this evening,” said Deegan.
The fundraising event was organized to assist the families affected by the hurricane in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico through raffle and sales.
“Whenever someone makes a purchase from the Huckleberry’s café and mentions that they want to contribute to the fund, twenty percent of the sale goes to the hurricane relief fund,” said Deegan.
In addition, there was a raffle drawing set up inside the cafe and the winners would get prizes from Born in a Barn, Jacoby Golf Course, Rocket Fizz, Jimmy Johns, Dominos, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen and BHP Imaging.
The event was initially planned to fund hurricane relief activists in Houston and Florida, which were recently affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. However, once the event was organized, Hurricane Maria also devastated Puerto Rico.
“After the event was organized, we heard about the hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico, so we are planning to send some money there as well,” said Deegan.
A portion of the funds raised from this event will be sent to “United for Puerto Rico,” an initiative brought forth by the first lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rossello, to support those affected by the hurricane.
The Hurricane Relief Fundraiser was organized by the Mu Nu Tau chapter of the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honor Society, in collaboration with the UW Counseling Program. According to Deegan, this was the first fund raising event organized by the society.
When Deegan and her team started the event at 2 p.m., the café seemed almost empty, but people began to gather after a few hours. Some were there for the fundraising event, but most people learned about the activity only after their arrival.
Neera Chandrasekar and Kodah Deibshek, two University of Wyoming students, were there to enjoy some warm beverages.
“We didn’t know about this event, but we are so glad that we made a contribution just by letting them know,” said Deibshek.
At the end of the event, Deegan and her team were able to raise $250 through the raffle and donations. According Deegan, some people voluntarily made donations instead of buying raffle tickets.
This amount does not include the money they raised through sales, because Deegan and her team haven’t accounted for it yet.
“The café’s manager is out of the town, so we don’t know how much we have raised through sales yet. But we’ll know by the end of this week,” said Deegan.
She added, given the limited amount of money raised, the money would most likely be sent to a single destination, instead of dividing into three, and that would most likely be Puerto Rico.
“But we need to know exactly how much we raised from sales, to confirm that decision,” Deegan said.
