Student government organizations at New Mexico State University, University of New Mexico, and University of Texas at El Paso are uniting as one to raise donations to support local non-profit organizations serving the migrant influx in El Paso, Las Cruces and Albuquerque.
The Rivals for Relief Initiative kicked off Feb. 7 and will run until Feb. 17. The goal is to raise $30,000, and the funds will be collected and managed by Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico.
“This is an important fund which allows students to directly donate and make an impact,” said Terra Winter, president and chief executive officer for Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico. “For our team, it is important to collaborate and lift student leaders to make an impact. We again are collaborators for their dreams and hope their actions will spur on other students to make an impact, become a donor and assist our community.”
Garrett Moseley, president of the Associated Students of New Mexico State University, said each student organization working together on this initiative could have a major outreach.
“I think it sends such a strong message and re-focuses the conversation on the humanity of the situation and trying to ensure that the people coming from the Southern border have humane conditions,” Moseley said.
Ian May, president of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico, said he’s seen students show their compassion for many kinds of issues, which could resonate with the community at large.
“Students are at the front of conversations, political movements, and change. But today, in this initiative, we wanted to focus on being at the front of impact above all else,” May said. “Working with the fellow student leaders who care at UTEP and NMSU means a lot because when students care, I think that gets lawmakers, families, grandparents, and everyone in between to take notice.”
Moseley said it’s important for Hispanic-serving Institutions to recognizing the need for that support.
“So many people in New Mexico, Texas and across the country have taken the exact same journey that a lot of people at the Southern border are doing right now,” Moseley said. “Whether students have taken that journey, their parents, or they have family that are south of the border, our cultures are so intertwined that in order to show support to our community and our campus community, we should do something for our refugees at the border and just ensure their essential needs are being met.”
The student presidents believe that with the right amount of traction and continued outreach, this initiative could reach a national platform and spread more awareness overall.
“At the end of the day, I think that New Mexico and El Paso have something special – where our students care, I think the communities match that empathy,” May said. “There are some folks really in need right now and there isn’t a huge support structure for them. I think what we aim to show is that our institutions and our communities are as caring as I know them to be.”
People can pick which student government to donate to, and the funds will be granted to the non-profits and agencies that work with these populations in their area.
The initiative encourages people to donate or at least spread the word with others.
“If your circumstances allow you to donate, it will really go a long way, and if you aren’t able to donate, sharing on your social media or sending it to family and friends would also go a long way,” Moseley said. “Another angle we’ve been doing is trying to get in contact with our elected leaders in the national and local delegation.”
If you’re interested in donating, visit https://cfsnm.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/grant?grant_cycle_id=1165. You can also follow all three student government associations (ASNMSU, ASUNM, UTEP SGA) on their social media pages to keep up with the initiative.