It’s not every day that AU plays host to 100 hot pink tents on the Quad.
The AU chapter of international Christian organization Cru participated in a nationwide project Sept. 26 to help air out hot pink tents that would be donated to Somali refugees in Djibouti.
The Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure donated the pink tents from their breast cancer awareness event, “The 3-Day for the Cure,” which took place in D.C. from Sept. 23 to Sept. 25.
Cru intern Meg Allin said the Komen Foundation offered 2,000 of the pink tents to the Global Aid Network (GAiN), an organization that works in partnership with Cru.
The 2,000 pink tents that were donated to GAiN were distributed to universities across the area, including University of Maryland and George Mason University, D.C. Cru intern Lauren Kelly said.
“GAiN needed the man power to air the tents out,” Kelly said. “Since it rained this past weekend, the tents were really wet and we didn’t want to send them to the refugees all moldy.”
GAiN contacted AU Cru two weeks ago asking them to participate in this project for the Somali refugees.
“We thought with American being such a community-service oriented school, the students would be really interested in getting involved,” Kelly said.
AU Cru members set up and dismantled the pink tents on the Quad from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the help of D.C. Cru interns.
Allin encouraged passing students on the Quad to help pitch and disassemble the tents.
Emily Young, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs and a Cru member, helped with the project.
“I thought it was a creative way to give back internationally because most people think of sending food supplies or shoes, like Tom’s shoes, but shelter? Shelter is one of our most basic necessities,” Young said.
The presence of the brightly colored tents on the Quad caught a great deal of attention. Students wanted to know the purpose behind the tents, and, after learning about the cause, many students helped set up and dismantle the tents, Kelly and Young said.
“Many hands make lighter work,” Young said.
The goal of AU Cru’s work was primarily to aid the Somali refugees, but the tent event also helped promote their newly established student group, Kelly said.
AU Cru hopes to create a community that establishes a relationship with Jesus, Allin said.
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