"This will be unlike any fundraiser the school has seen in several years; it's going to be massively publicized, and we think students will respond," said Daniel Geldon '04, who is helping to organize the fundraiser. "We don't have an exact goal, but we will be encouraging students to give five or 10 dollars, or whatever they can contribute, so that we can make a significant contribution as a community."
The fundraiser will appeal to students to make cash donations to the relief fund, which will distribute the money among several charities. Two months following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., the coalition effort is the first such College fundraiser to directly solicit donations from students.
"Our biggest goal is to come together in a bipartisan, group effort to raise some money for a really important charity," said Ben Baum '03, one of the co-founders of the Amherst Assembly for Patriotism. "I'm hoping that, even though it's been two months since the attacks, there are a lot of people on campus still willing to help with the relief efforts as best they can."
The nonpartisan nature of the endeavor means that these political groups will be working together in pursuit of a declared common goal, even as the U.S. efforts in Afghanistan continue to cause discord among students of different political perspectives.
"The Republicans are co-sponsoring and co-organizing the fundraiser; it's important for people to keep in mind that, yes indeed, Republicans have hearts too," said Theodore Hertzberg '04, who is the Republican representative for the coalition. "We're looking to give students, regardless of their political affiliation, regardless of their opinion on the war against Afghanistan and regardless of their opinion on the circumstances prior to the terrorist attack, the opportunity to make a substantial contribution."
Seventy percent of the proceeds from the fundraiser will be split evenly between the United Way September 11th Fund and the America Red Cross Liberty Fund. The remaining 30 percent will be split evenly between the hunger charity, America's Second Harverst, and Habitat for Humanity in an effort to replace funds that have been diverted towardst the disaster relief efforts.
"Not all of the money goes to the relief efforts in New Yor; some of it will go to other charities," said Hertzberg, referring to the group's effort to acknowledge the fact that while "the Red Cross [Liberty Fund] has received an enormous amount, that means people who would have given to hunger or the homeless have not necessarily done so."
The fundraising effort will follow a patriotism rally to be held in the Amherst Town Commons at 2 p.m. on Veterans Day this Sunday. Organized by the local chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion, with help from the Amherst College Republicans and the Assembly for Patriotism, the event will serve to commemorate the two-month anniversary of the attacks. The Democrats also hope to be involved in the rally, in an effort to further the unity initiated by the collaboration on the fundraiser.
"We are hoping to be involved in whatever capacity we can," said Brent Lanoue '02, co-president of the Democrats. "We're hoping to unify the student body."
The fundraising effort will strive to keep the attack in the campus consciousness by providing students with a direct means of contributing to a relief effort otherwise accessed with greater difficulty, according to Geldon.
"I think a lot of students feel a little powerless, and we think this is a good way to make a difference," said Geldon. "This fundraising effort provides us with a chance to come together as a community and support an effort that needs our support as much as it ever has."