Winter Mobile Clinics have just started and several students have been fundraising through the 50:50 campaign. This is one of the students who is working in the clinic. His name is Cole Davidson and he is from FSU. He had a successful campaign that enabled him to make his trip to Tena this past week. For more information about the 50:50 campaign click here: 50:50 Campaign
How did you hear about the 50:50 Campaign? I heard about the 50/50 campaign through first couple MEDLIFE meetings. I understood that 50% of the proceeds that I had raised would go to the MEDLIFE campaign the rest would pay for my trip.
Why did you decide to organize this campaign? At first I thought it was the only way to do it, and so I thought why not? And I ended up doing the 50:50 campaign.
How long was your campaign? The campaign lasted about two to three months.
What did you do to make your campaign successful? I made a lot of calls, I asked people how they felt about donating to a good cause. I explained to them that by contributing to this campaign, they are taking a step towards helping in a very worthwhile effort. They are helping to bring about health equality in other countries.
Did you encounter any obstacles during this process? How did you overcome them? I did not encounter very many obstacles. When I talked with people about how lucky we are that we live in a country with a great health care system and how great it works for us and then explained that other people don’t have the luxury of healthcare, they easily understood why this campaign was important. It was not hard to explain to people that this kind of work is taking place all around the world and they can be part of it by contributing to the campaign. Even by talking to them and asking them to donate helped to make people aware of these issues.
How was organizing a 50:50 campaign a positive experience? What did you learn from it? Well, I had to get a lot more donations to be able to come on the trip, but at the same time, it felt more rewarding because I realized half of what I raised was used for a project to help one of the communities that MEDLIFE supports.
What do you think about your Volunteer Trip this week? Well I haven’t been on a mission trip in four years, so this was a very life changing experience. I haven’t done any trip on a scale such as this, spending a week in another country. I’ve only traveled internationally two or three times, so this was something completely out of my comfort zone. I didn’t know what I was doing at first, and yes, I did feel a little uncomfortable through the week. But I have to say that I broke through those barriers. The relationships I’ve made and the experiences I’ve had have left an impact that I will not forget. I will cherish this experience long after I go back to America.
What advice do you have for students considering organizing a 50:50 campaign? Just remember that raising funds for these things is a step in the right direction. By organizing a 50:50 campaign you are helping to provide health care and helping to bring health equality. We have such great health care in the USA and maybe Ecuador or Peru do not, so by doing this you are taking a step in the right direction. You are helping to bring about health equality around the world.
