With ‘Give-a-Goat’ coming into full swing on the WT campus, some students are expressing their excitement as the time nears for this annual fundraiser’s main event: ‘Shack-A-Thon’, which begins Wednesday, April 13.
“Students are actually planning their week out so that they can make it,” Buffs 4 Christ intern Brad Raburn said.
‘Give-A-Goat’ is a charitable fundraiser hosted by the WT Campus Ministers Alliance that is dedicated to helping the impoverished people of southern Sudan by raising money to buy goats to send to families in need. Beau Niewoehner, assistant director of the Wesley Foundation said that goats are not merely meant as food.
“Goats are useful because they’re low-maintenance and provide milk,” Niewoehner said. “Also, when they breed, one Sudanese family is able to give the babies to other families in need.”
‘Shack-A-Thon’ plays into ‘Give-A-Goat’s mission by having students and community members build cardboard shacks by Old Main to sleep in for the night as a way to simulate the level of poverty in which the people of Sudan live. First-year graduate student and business major Caleb Dale said this temporary living arrangement helps to get students to care more.
“ [Shack-A-Thon] is a little more personal because you don’t just send a check. You actually put in some time and effort,” Dale said.
Over the course of three years, Shack-A-Thon has become a campus-wide event with almost every organization getting involved, from dorms like Jones Hall to campus ministries like Buffs 4 Christ. To date, the street-shack sleepover has raised $34,000 and brought almost 500 goats to 40 Sudanese families. While the event has been tough in the past for some students because of poor weather conditions that often occur, some of this year’s participants say their anticipation is still high.
“I’m really looking forward to just raising awareness for the people of Sudan,” freshman nursing major Katy Spruiell said.
Shack building begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 pm. on April 13. Other activities planned include goat-inspired parade floats and judging of the shacks for prizes, such as “Most Creative.” In addition, a program will be lead by Christian Relief Fund President Milton Jones for the participants at 7:00 p.m.
