One of the best parts of being a Penn State student is the endless amount of activities that are available for everyone to get involved with. Valley was lucky enough to speak with Natasha Bailey, a student who is very passionate about one of her organizations: Project Cahir.
Project Cahir was founded at Penn State two years ago. It is named after Bill Cahir, a United States Marine and Penn State alumnus, who was known for his dedication to community service. The club’s mission is to fight college student poverty, an issue many of us may not be aware of.
Bailey explains that she was unaware of student poverty before she joined the initiative. Students around campus may be struggling to find their next meal, or a place to sleep at night. To combat this, Bailey created a poverty resource card. This card helps students find free resources on and off campus. There is also the “Take Cahir” initiative, which helps students that need to purchase textbooks, toiletries and groceries.
Project Cahir has worked with the Office of Development to raise money for students in need, and even met with President Barron to make sure that every textbook is available on reserve at the library. They are also working with local hotels to find affordable semester break housing solutions for students who cannot afford to go home during breaks.
This organization brings new light to an issue we don’t think about often. If you are inspired by the passion of Project Cahir volunteers, you can make a difference. Their current project is a crowd-funding campaign to raise $5,000 for students in need. You can learn more about the initiative and donate at https://pennstate.useed.net/projects/114/home.
It is exciting to be involved at Penn State, and Project Cahir is an organization that definitely deserves more attention in our community.
Photos provided by Natasha Bailey
