When ASPIRE President Miguel Garcia participated in last year’s United Way Campaign, he was inspired to do it again this year. Garcia is involved with Reading Buddies and Project Backpack, programs both promoted by United Way.

“I was inspired to participate in the United Way Campaign one more time because last year it was very successful; both financially raising lots of money, and making [Elgin Community College] a top contributor for the campaign,” Garcia said.

According to the their website, United Way is a leadership and support organization that advances the common good and creates opportunities to provide a better life for those in need, by focusing on education, income and health. Some of their programs include Reading Buddies, when students can visit schools to read for young children, and Project Backpack, in which staff, students or anyone in the community can pack a backpack for a child from a low income area.

This year’s campaign is focused on United Way of Elgin, where students raised money through a raffle. Some of the included prizes are a pass for the president’s guest parking spot, a United Way gift basket and a lunch with Dr. Sam. The raffle will continue going on for the entire month of April.

“I was part of the campaign last year, but this year I wanted to get more involved because it is an amazing campaign,” USAC Secretary Kyle Perez said.

On April 5, ASPIRE and United Students of All Cultures (USAC)  hosted a United Way kick off event, where Dr. Sam talked about the importance of the campaign, and a few students talked about their experiences with Reading Buddies. To raise money for the campaign, entertaining games were included, such as guessing how much candy is in a glass jar, and popping balloons for a chance to win prizes.

USAC and ASPIRE met throughout the semester to talk about ideas for the campaign, and about different ways to raise money.

“I would say that I find these projects amazing, and when it comes to collaborate with another club for good purposes, I really like helping others,” said USAC Vice President Ulises Zamora.

ASPIRE and USAC have continued to raise money for United Way by tabling every week until April 22, when the campaign ended.

Garcia hopes that the campaign will continue in the future, after he is long gone from ECC.

“It has allowed me to use my artistic and creative skills to support a very good cause that promotes great programs,”  Garcia said.