Concordia donates $100,000 to the Lutheran Malaria Initiative

Published by Concordia University, Nebraska 10 years ago on Sat, Nov 2, 2013 11:29 AM
A "Fight the Night" fundraiser raised money for the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. Students spent the night in the quad and slept under bed nets to raise awareness about malaria in parts of Africa.

Students at Concordia University, Nebraska raised more than $100,000 for the Lutheran Malaria Initiative (LMI) throughout the 2012-13 academic year.

The initial goal was to raise $12,500. A set of donors would then match those funds up to $25,000. Student groups actually raised $32,605. Faculty, staff, community members and a major donor contributed another $18,000, for a total of $50,605. That amount was matched by Ruth and Arne Sorenson for a grand total of $100, 605.

A trip to Tanzania marked the beginning of Concordia’s partnership with the initiative. LMI selected then-juniors Rebecca Monnier of Bellevue, Neb., and Louisa Mehl of Concordia, Mo., as fellows to the initiative through an application and interview process. The two went on the trip to learn about the effects of malaria in Africa. Monnier and Mehl then led fundraising efforts on campus, with all proceeds going to LMI to help eradicate malaria in parts of Africa.

The fundraising involved classes, sports teams and student organizations who sponsored and donated to the initiative. On campus activities included Fight the Night, an overnight camp out in the campus quad that featured games, improvisational comedy and live music; the Christmas Gift Fund in which students were asked to trade Christmas gifts they would have received for a donation to LMI; and a Frisbee golf tournament in Link Library.

Smaller campaigns included T-shirt sales and contests at the Concordia Invitational Basketball Tournament, Change for Change during campus chapel, vacation bible school groups and congregation visits, and a change donation partnership with the 10:31 Coffee Shop.