Student-Led Clubs and Organizations at Eller Unite to Support Wildcat Community

Though physically apart for the time being, Eller College of Management students continue to find ways to collaborate and come together, often with the goal of helping those in need. Recently, this took the form a highly successful fundraising campaign, spearheaded by Eller seniors Sarah Dusza ’21 BSBA (Economics) and Kelly-Maree Hart ’21 BSBA (Marketing) for UA Campus Pantry, an organization working to reduce food insecurity at the University of Arizona. 

The idea for the campaign came from an unlikely place—a regular dinner conversation between Dusza and her brother, Nicholas Dusza ’22 BS (Biosystems Engineering, Systems Engineering), who works at the greenhouse in the Student Union Memorial Center.  

“While talking about our day, he mentioned that Campus Pantry was really in need of donations and wished that there was something we could do,” she says. Inspired, she mentioned the issue to Hart and members of the Eller College Dean’s Council, a group of students which acts as a direct liaison between students, faculty and college administrators. They developed a fundraising plan with a pledge from the Dean’s Council to match donations up to $1,000. 

Using a large group chat that includes the presidents of every student-led Eller organization, Hart and Dusza were able to garner support from the entire group, who in turn encouraged their respective student leaders and members to support and promote the fundraiser.  

The clubs and organizations rallied together and brought in donations through a GoFundMe page, a contactless drop-off point for non-perishables and through social media templates that clubs and their members could post on their Instagram stories to help gather support from their respective social networks.  

In addition to these efforts, Hart and Dusza reached out to their connections at professional organizations, which resulted in a donation of $5,000 worth of granola from Purely Elizabeth and another matching pledge from E. & J. Gallo Winery for up to $1,000. 

In total, the fundraiser raised $8,860 in cash and physical donations, all of which will go to directly support students in need at the University of Arizona.  

“It’s truly amazing to see what can happen when people unite for a good cause,” says Dusza. 

“We are so proud of the Eller community for coming together in a time like this,” says Hart. “It makes me really proud to be an Eller student.”