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Elizabeth Evanoo and Anita Chong had a plan. They knew they wanted to raise AIDS awareness on campus but initially they debated how to raise the money.
"We eventually got the idea from a service project Elizabeth had done in high school," Chong said.
As a high school student, Evanoo conducted a service fundraising project for the victims' families of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. In high school, Evanoo, now a senior in architecture, crocheted bracelets and sold them for $1 each.
"I made around $1,200 for the families and when we were thinking of how to make money for AIDS awareness, the bracelets came to mind," Evanoo said.
Evanoo and Chong founded EmBracelet in order to send a message and help an important cause.
"Last year we were up late talking and Beth mentioned the outstanding number of students at OSU," Chong said. "If each student contributed a little bit to a good cause, our campus could make a huge difference in Africa."
The money raised through bracelet sales goes to a charity called Doctors Without Borders. The system functions by allowing different groups to raise money and allow them to choose where they would like the money to go.
"The doctors work for free, they donate their time, they lower medicine prices and they educate the people of Africa," Evanoo said. "So many people in Africa don't even know what AIDS is and what risks come with it, the doctors help them to understand."
EmBracelet is comprised of around 40 OSU members. There is a strong desire to expand because both Evanoo and Chong, the organization's founders and advisors, are seniors.
"If the effort to sell bracelets got big enough here on campus it could possibly spread to the Columbus community and maybe even farther," Chong said. "We want to collaborate with as many groups with similar causes as we can and expand.
Chong, along with being the vice president of EmBracelet, is also a member of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at OSU, which, ironically was selling T-shirts outside of Knowlton Hall Tuesday, where the EmBracelet meeting was held.
The "Do You See Orange?" campaign and the T-shirts serve as another AIDS awareness effort focused toward spreading the message that 5 percent of the children in Africa are orphaned because of AIDS.
"We're divorcing the T-shirt campaign from anything religious," said Corey Shane, a senior in linguistics. "We're just trying to engage the compassion and heart of the campus by getting people from all walks of life and all religious backgrounds to wear these things."
Nora Shanon, a freshman in medical technology and Arabic, said she is involved with EmBracelet and bought an orange T-shirt because of her own personal connection to Africa.
"I'm from Africa, so it makes such a difference to me and many of my friends because this is where we originate - it is our home," Shanon said. "I'm proud of where I'm from and I want to do all I can to help."
The goal of EmBracelet is to sell 1,000 bracelets by the end of the quarter.
"We just want to teach people that AIDS in Africa is a big deal and that it is possible for students like us to do something about it," Evanoo said. "Doing something small like making bracelets can make a big difference."
Sara Clifford can be reached at clifford.65@osu.edu.
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