UB students have come together to aid victims of the April 15 bombing in Boston.
Jessica Tomasello, a sophomore exercise science major, and Valerie Wellenc, a freshman social science major, set up Herding for the Hurting on April 17 after feeling affected by images of the bombing victims on television. They decided to figure out a way to help.
The students teamed up with Shoe Recycling Fundraiser, a social enterprise thatcollects used shoes and donates them to children in Africa, according to its website. Together, they will collect used shoes from places around Western New York. For every pair collected, $0.50 will be donated to One Fund Boston to help the victims and their families, and the shoes will be donated to children in Africa.
So far, One Fund Boston has raised over $26 million in public and corporate donations, according to its website.
Tomasello and Wellenc set up bins to drop off shoes in locations around North Campus and University Village at Sweethome, a student-apartment complex in Amherst.
Donations are also set up in a variety of locations off campus including Primerano Fitness in Niagara Falls, Catalyst Fitness and schools in the Kenmore-Tonawanda and North Tonawanda school districts.
"We've had bins filled already," Wellenc said. "I put bins up in a few gyms. [Tomasello] put them up at Ken-Ton schools and they were just filled within a day. We didn't think it would go this fast. It was just an idea off the top of our heads."
Tomasello was surprised at the immediate impact the fundraiser had. She said some of her teachers told her how full some of the bins were.
The shoes will be sent to the Shoe Recycling Fundraiser headquarters in Holyoke, Mass., and will then be donated to children Africa.
The Shoe Recycling Fundraiser is an organization dedicated toward improving the environmental and economic development of Africa, especially in countries like Morocco, Liberia, Mali and Angola.
Michael Aronson, the president who works in the Shoe Recycling Fundraiser headquarters, spoke with Tomasello and Wellenc and provided bins and other materials for the fundraiser.
"I know people who were [in Boston]," Aronson said. "They were unaffected physically, but emotionally, it's a very serious thing."
Tomasello and Wellenc used social media to raise awareness for the fundraiser in addition to posting flyers on and off. They posted donation news on Facebook and links and videos on Instagram.
"I have couple of friends I went to high school with in Boston," Tomasello said. "I talk to them about it. They're doing a lot [to help]. To know that [my friend] was literally around the block when it happened. It kind of hits you."
Kelly Savage, a senior exercise major, is one of the many students who volunteered to help the fundraiser by getting permission to set up bins on North Campus while Tomasello and Wellenc sought permission from off-campus locations.
Twenty to 25 bins will be set up 24 hours a day in front of the Student Life Office and outside the pro shop in the Alumni Gym. Bins will also be set up in Clark Hall and other buildings on North Campus.
Savage, who knows people who were in New York City during 9/11, can relate to wanting to help people after a tragedy. He jumped on the opportunity to help in the fundraiser for Boston.
"It felt right to want to do something to help those people," Savage said. "I was young when 9/11 happened. I couldn't really do anything. I was really helpless. But now that I'm older and I have an idea of how to approach situations, I can actually help the situation."
Savage said the donations will not only help the people in Boston but give the donators a better outlook on others.
"We're just random college kids, just doing this on a whim," Savage said. "If we can do this, then really anybody can do it."
Tomasello and Wellenc are aiming to receive about 4,000 pairs of shoes, which will amount to around $2,000, by the end of the fundraiser. Tomasello said they have collected close to 600 pairs of shoes so far.The Herding for the Hurting program will end on May 19 with an event at the fundraiser's home base in Primerano Fitness where students and Buffalonians can get one last chance to donate shoes.
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