Help Darfur Now Chapter at West Essex High School

To begin my project, I created a proposal for the club and presented it to the principal of West Essex High School. When she agreed that it was a great idea, we chose to start the Help Darfur Now chapter as a part of the school's Key Club. At a Key Club meeting, I presented the genocide in Darfur to the students and we brainstormed some ideas for events to host. I also told the students to inform their friends about the new club. When we had about 15 students who said yes to joining, Help Darfur Now of West Essex officially became its own club. Next, I called the head of the Help Darfur Now Organization to order t-shirts, bracelets, pins, and sweatshirts. When they came in, club members set up a table at lunch and sold the inventory. Also, each club member was required to buy a t-shirt. For the event, the club decided to host a movie night showing the film, "The Devil Came on Horseback", sell merchandise and food and beverages, and host a 50/50 raffle. I researched several organizations to find prominent people to speak at the event, and decided upon three speakers: Adib Yousif, a Darfuri genocide survivor; Denise Bell, Amnesty International director for Darfur; and the teen regional director of S.T.A.N.D., Students Taking Action Now for Darfur. To pay for the event, I applied for a grant through the Save Darfur organization in Washington D.C., and they granted me $1,500 to put on the event. I then went out to look for corporate sponsers for the event. I addressed the Chief of Police of Roseland Township, who then went on to raise $3,000 through about 20 corporate sponsors. With the momentum we continued to raise money through selling merchandise. We also sent Save Darfur postcards to President Obama asking him to take action towards the crisis in Darfur.