Professor Allison Edgley's Small Group Communication class came together to create K2O, an event that raised money to donate to the American Red Cross and collected cases of water to give to Kean's Cougar Pantry.
As part of Edgley's Small Group Communication class, she encourages the class to plan a fundraising event to put into practice the skills they learned during the class. She has done this with different results and causes every semester as different students bring varying levels of expertise to their project. This year, for instance, one of her students had a connection to the Office of Admissions that allowed the Cougar costume to be present at the event.
"Every semester I run this class I ask them what kind of event they'd like to do, what kind of a fundraiser they think they'd want to have. The organization comes first and then we decide what we want to do and they came up with [K2O]. Every student that's here from my class contributed to the idea, constructing the logo or the name. It just kind of evolved from there," said Edgley. "They decided who the money was going to, how we were going to collect [the money], how we were going to run it and how the event itself was going to be."
Alejandro Caballero, a junior communication major, explained the inspiration behind the fundraiser.
"We wanted to help the community but also do something local," said Caballero. "It's for small group communication. We're learning the dynamics of each person's role and how we can have better team work. So why not do it through a fundraiser?"
The event was originally supposed to take place at the Miron Student Center (MSC) Patio but was moved inside because of the rain. Still, the students made the most out of the event and sold empanadas, cupcakes, iced tea and more.
Students ambled through the MSC Atrium filled with a colorful display, giveaways, music and fellow students representing the K20 table. The main event was supposed to be the Water Pong Tournament; however, it was cancelled due to the weather.
"Water Pong is an idea that no one has really done before and we thought a lot of kids that were younger would decide that... if [they're] good at it on the weekends, why not play it in school?" said Caballero.
Caballero explained that March Madness and the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament held at Kean also inspired the creation of the Water Pong Tournament.
All money raised will be donated to the American Red Cross to help further their efforts. The Red Cross is an organization that helps respond in emergency and crisis situations. All water cases collected during the fundraiser will also be donated to Kean's Cougar Pantry to help those within the Kean community.
Ultimately, the event raised $250 for the American Red Cross and will donate five cases of water to the Cougar Pantry. An additional $50 will be donated to the Union County Shelter as well.
