Jordan Sanders is a junior social entrepreneurship major from Huntsville, Alabama. On campus, she is involved in Enactus, Alpha Chi, Bruin Recruiters, and Towering Traditions. Her favorite thing to do is travel and experience other cultures. This past May she went on a Maymester to South Africa and Tanzania, and will be going to London for a whole semester in the spring. Despite her busy schedule, Jordan still finds time to care for those around her. She is constantly encouraging others and looking for ways she can help people, even strangers. After hearing about the recent Vegas shooting, Jordan and some of her friends decided to set up an event that would allow students to send letters of support and appreciation to the first responders who worked so diligently and selflessly to help the victims of the shooting. Below is my interview with Jordan about the event and how you can get involved.
Event:
What: Writing letters to first responders (policemen and hospital staff) in Vegas.
When: Wednesday, October 25, 10 am-1 pm
Where: Beaman Lobby
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What inspired you to do this?
I saw everything that has been going on: hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and now a mass shooting, and felt pretty helpless. I wanted to find a way to get involved and make a difference in the midst of all of this suffering. I knew that a lot of my friends were feeling this way too, so I wanted to do something that we as students could do that wouldn’t cost us anything but still make a positive impact in someone’s life.
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What was your reaction to the Vegas shooting?
For some reason the Vegas shooting really affected me. I don’t know anyone directly impacted by this event, but after all the hurricanes and other disasters we have been witnessing, this was just the last straw for me I guess. In the week that followed, I had this weight of despair and helplessness on my shoulders that I couldn’t shake. I think this was God’s way of telling me to do something about how I felt! So after some brainstorming with friends, we came up with the idea of sending cards to first responders.
What advice do you have for people who want to help but don’t know where to start?
My advice to those who want to get involved but don’t know how would be first, to pray. I had all these ideas in my head at first, and talked to people about them but got nowhere with it. When I prayed about it, I began to see doors open and a plan of action unfold. I would also say be creative! We tend to see helping those in need as just donating money, which is hard for broke college students. There are plenty of ways to change the world that don’t involve monetary donations. Start with small acts of kindness, like buying coffee for a stranger or giving someone a compliment, and see where that takes you. Sometimes the simplest acts make the biggest difference.
Was it hard to get this all organized?
It was actually pretty easy to get this event organized. I sent a few emails, and I was able to get help from Enactus and ResLife to sponsor this event. There were a few times when I thought I was taking on too much- such as trying to figure out how many letters we need or how to ship all the letters to Vegas. But whenever I felt that way, someone would assure me that these were simple tasks and my doubts would fade. My friends have been super eager to help as well, which has been so encouraging!
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Helping people during times of such devastation is not always as hard or as daunting as it might seem. In a world filled with such darkness, it is important to be a light. Writing a letter to the first responders who helped during the Vegas shooting is a great way to do this! Head over to the Beaman Lobby on Wednesday and write a short note. It won’t take long and it’s an easy way to make a big impact.
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