Over the last few months, the community at UW Bothell has witnessed many students and people from around the world facing struggles like food insecurity, poverty, war and conflict. These issues were exacerbated by Washington’s rising housing and grocery costs, unreliability of SNAP benefits, and recent global political conflicts. Student leaders at UWB recognized the challenges people are facing and led fundraisers and donation drives to support and build community around the issues they were passionate about. This led to a positive impact both locally and globally.  

The years in university are a time for students to practice leadership skills, advocate for change, and make positive impacts both on and off campus. Getting involved with student clubs is one way to gain such experience to create change through engaging the community and under the guidance of faculty. As the fall quarter comes to an end, it is a great time to reflect on the impact made this past quarter by clubs. 

This fall, BunaTalk, an East African community-focused club, started a fundraiser for Sudan to “raise both financial support and awareness for the ongoing humanitarian crisis,” as stated by the club’s Co-President Koket Gebiremichael. She goes on to mention that many club members had personal connections in Sudan, which made the initiative meaningful to their community. It gave them an opportunity to “provide a tangible way that students could contribute while also spreading awareness to the UWB community about the situation.” Over the course of the fundraiser,  BunaTalk were able to raise over $3,000 partnering with the Sudanese American Physician Association (SAPA). All funds went directly to SAPA, “a trusted, physician-led organization [with] established networks on the ground which allows them to provide aid to hospitals, clinics, and displaced communities efficiently.” This initiative had global impacts and supported their club’s core belief of “responding to global and local issues that impact our members and the broader East African Community.” 

Another club making a global impact is the Muslim Student Association (MSA), which led a clothing drive to support families in Sudan. In an interview with Malak Babiker, the club’s Public Relations Coordinator, she mentions many students in the Muslim community are Sudanese, and “felt it was important to use our platform to raise awareness about the ongoing crisis in Sudan, particularly in cities like El-Fashir, where access to aid is extremely limited.” When planning this initiative, the club was “inspired by the Sudanese American Unity Association (SAUA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the betterment and well-being of the Sudanese American community in the Puget Sound area. SAUA had already begun a clothing drive within the local community, and [MSA] decided to expand this effort by bringing it to UW Bothell so students could participate and support the cause.” Over the course of the clothing drive, they were able to collect approximately 50-100 items of clothing, which were then delivered through SAUA to families in Sudan, “including those in heavily impacted areas,” according to Malak.  

Malak states they want “to show that collective effort, even through small contributions, can have a meaningful impact.” 

One club directly involved in local volunteer work and helping students make meaningful community impact is Helping Handz. This November, the organization hosted a Winter Donation Drive to collect practical winter essential clothing for people in need through donation drop-off boxes across campus. According to the club’s Vice President, Amandeep Bansal, another recent high-impact event  hosted this December was Cozy Kits of Care, where students assembled kits with “basic hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, wet wipes, tissues, and bandages, along with warm socks and gloves, non-perishable food, and bottled water.” Helping Handz were able to donate 50 care kits, which the club officers personally delivered to unhoused individuals in Seattle, choosing “direct distribution so the support could be immediate and personal.” This shows the thoughtfulness and care going into community efforts at UWB. 

Students looking to engage in volunteer work and make community impacts can do so through clubs on campus. Helping Handz is a great resource; their mission is to “connect students with local organizations, non-profits, and outreach programs that align with their passions and academic goals,” which makes community impact accessible in an educational space. As the new year approaches and students reflect on their goals for campus and community involvement, we hope that looking at previous club impacts encourages more initiatives in the upcoming quarter to continue community-building.