APPLETON, WIS. — With the holiday shopping season in full throttle, Lawrence University students are offering bargain hunters a different kind of shopping experience — one with a heart.
Members of the campus organization Students’ War Against Hunger and Poverty (SWAHP) will host the college’s first Alternative Giving Fair Saturday, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Riverview Lounge of the Lawrence Memorial Union.
The fair will resemble a traditional market setting, with different booths selling a wide variety of items, both tangible and alternative, focused on national and international humanitarian projects. All gifts are designed to support social, economic and environmental progress in developing regions of the world. The fair will feature live music performed throughout the day by Lawrence students and refreshments will be available.
Booths staffed by members of Lawrence student organizations will feature gifts from around the world, such as jewelry and hand-made tapestries, provided by A Greater Gift, a program of SERRV International, a nonprofit alternative trade and development organization. Ninety percent of the purchase price of the merchandise is returned to the people in the developing countries who made the items.
Shoppers also will have the opportunity to honor family and friends by purchasing “alternative gifts” for nearly three dozen different programs worldwide that are working on issues of education, malnourished children and the environment, among others. Gifts ranging from solar-powered computers for a rural school in Honduras to support services for children suffering from cancer will be available.
“The holiday season is filled with the spirit of giving and what better way to show the true meaning of that spirit than by purchasing a gift that provides hope for someone less fortunate, empowers people in crises, helps protect our planet and contributes to building peace in the global community,” said senior Samantha Gibb, student co-founder of SWAHP. “We’re hoping our giving fair provides a unique shopping experience that touches the heart of the gift giver while also making the world a little better place.”
Many of the humanitarian projects available will relate to the goals and purpose of the particular student organization running the booths. Cards explaining that an alternative present was given in their honor will be sent to all individuals designated by the gift purchaser.
All attending the giving fair will have an opportunity to sign onto the ONE declaration, a national campaign involving more than 2.4 million people dedicated to raising public awareness about the issues of global poverty. Two hundred white wrist bands will be available for individuals wishing to publicly show their support for the ONE campaign.
