Clemson University students are exploring ways to help the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Rising Senior Alyssa Hess has started an effort called “Tigers for Boston.”
“Right now we are kind of playing it by ear to see if a relief fund is being set up,” Hess said. “It's been less than 24 hours, so we haven't found one yet.”
The effort could take several forms.
“We're playing around with an idea to donate to the Red Cross specifically in the Boston area or setting up our own relief fund to pay for the hospital bills of the people that are injured.”
Hess hopes Tigers for Boston can raise a significant amount of money.
“I'd like to set a goal of at least $10,000,” she said. “But I don't want to limit us to that. I know we can definitely do more than that if we get the community involved.”
She knows firsthand the generosity of the Clemson University community. Hess started “Tigers for Sandy Hook Elementary” following the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December.
“Tigers for Sandy Hook Elementary” was a Christmas card campaign aimed show the students and families of Sandy Hook Elementary that they were not alone.
“That had such an overwhelming response and a huge amount of support,” Hess said. “I knew that most people involved with that would want to be involved with this as well.”
She said she would love if Tigers for Boston also included a card campaign.
“It's a matter of finding a Boston organization to receive the letters,” Hess said. “That was the hardest part with the Sandy Hook campaign, finding someone to receive thousands of letters and cards.”
She hopes the Boston Athletic Association sets up a way to send letters and cards directly to the Boston victims.
A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Hess is majoring in Psychology and hopes to study Clinical Mental Health in graduate school next year.
She first became involved in outreach when she started an organization called Hope for Kenya.
“That was my first campaign to advocate and raise awareness for a specific group of people,” Hess said. “It's what I love to do. This is what I want to do the rest of my life. I can't wait to graduate and make it my full-time job.”
She attending Leadership Learning training at Clemson.
“The Clemson family has such a strong bond and a big heart for civic engagement,” Hess said. “I think that as human beings, it's out duty to support and help one another in times of need and tragedy.”
Follow the Tigers for Boston campaign as it develops on its Facebook page.