AUGSBURG COLLEGE CATCHES THE WAVE OF GIVINGT
Baltimore , February 8, 2005 -- Minneapolis-based Augsburg College is challenging its students, faculty, administration, and alumni to meet a $35,000 funding goal to contribute to Lutheran World Relief, LWR, and its WAVE OF GIVINGT rebuilding campaign for South Asia .
"We wanted to make best use of the charitable energy that has been generated on campus since the tsunami hit South Asia," said David Fenrick from the Center for Global Education at Augsburg College . "Our planning committee agreed that partnering with LWR seemed like a natural fit."
Augsburg College and Lutheran World Relief share a strong belief in experiential learning as a tool to educate about the root causes of poverty and to advocate for lasting solutions. The institutions have been working cooperatively for over two years in sponsoring trips to Nicaragua to educate about the LWR Coffee Project and fair trade.
"We see this funding challenge as another step towards a deepened relationship between the Augsburg community and LWR," said Fenrick. "We won't stop when the tsunami fundraiser is over, but instead will think about what we can do next."
Augsburg College plans to kick off this challenge at the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize Forum, February 11-12, 2005, hosted this year at Augsburg College . While Augsburg's donation will contribute to LWR's overall rebuilding plan in South Asia, the $35,000 challenge total will be visualized as one of ten cyclone shelters that LWR partners in India will build in coastal villages.
Lutheran World Relief has worked in India for more than 50 years, with partner Churches Auxiliary for Social Action, CASA. Both organizations are adept at planning and monitoring for the long term, "as will be the case after the relief phase of this disaster," comments LWR President, Kathryn Wolford . She continues, " Augsburg College 's commitment to our long-term plans inspires our work. Others with similar vision enable us to look at the long, long road ahead and do the planning and make the financial decisions we need to make in transitioning from relief to long-term development. We simply wouldn't be as effective as we are without groups like Augsburg behind us."
Other higher education institutions have also mobilized good will through LWR's WAVE OF GIVING, including Gustavus Adolphus College , St. Peter , Minn. ; Luther College , Decorah , Iowa ; Luther Seminary, St. Paul , Minn. ; Newberry College , Newberry , S.C. ; and Roanoke College , Roanaoke , N.C. Whether collecting chapel offering, linking websites, organizing prayer vigils, announcing LWR's high philanthropy rating, tolling the chapel carillon for a day, inviting an LWR speaker, or simply placing donation cans around campus - campus communities have come together to reach out to tsunami survivors.
"It was easy," said Jeni Falkman, student organizer at Luther Seminary of her campus' efforts. "Everyone wanted to help."
WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
For more information contact Emily Sollie at esollie@lwr.org or 410-230-2802.
