Following their motto “Service Above Self,” the DU Rotaract Club, a group dedicated to service, partnered with Edge of Seven, a Denver-based non-profit organization geared towards women’s empowerment that fuses service with travel, in a fundraising event last Tuesday at the Korbel School’s Cyber Café.
Residing in universities and communities in 170 countries, Rotaract Clubs are actually extensions of the umbrella organization, Rotary International: a service fellowship notably responsible for nearly eradicating polio, giving children around the world access to education and providing clean drinking water for thousands.
Teaming up with Edge of Seven, the fundraiser began at 6:30 p.m., with a screening of the award-winning documentary “The Mountain Between Us,” co-produced by Edge of Seven and directed by Stanford MFA film student Maria Fortiz-Morse. The event also included a casual dinner provided by Jerusalem’s and several giveaways like gift cards to Nova and coupons for Noodles and Co. Roughly 15 people attended and a $5 donation was suggested from attendees.
“We partnered with two other rotary groups in Denver,” said Jessica Spomer, a senior from Fort Collins majoring in International Studies and president of DU Rotaract; the two groups were the Metro Rotaract and Sky High Rotary Club.
“We split up the work among members and brainstormed: ‘This is a start-up organization; how can we advertise them?’ We used flyers, Facebook, word-of-mouth; we sent info in newsletters via email and contacted surrounding businesses.”
The documentary exhibited a raw portrayal of the strenuous rural lifestyles led by two Nepali girls named Junu and Purnima. The former was struggling with the burden of financially providing for her family, completing household chores and affording education expenses; the latter was facing the anxiety of a loveless arranged marriage in which she would exist as a servant for her husband and in-laws. Both dreamed of receiving empowerment through higher education which would allow them to contribute to the development of their society.
This is the dream Edge of Seven strives to make come true.
“Our programs fall under two spheres: international and community development,” said Emily Stanley, Program Director for Edge of Seven. “In the latter, we focus on infrastructure projects; we build schools dorms and water projects. And the projects are conceptualized at the community level.”
With a focal point in Nepal and the East African country of Tanzania, the organization is helping communities in each of these states to construct schools for women and girls wherein they will be able to specialize in tourism or community development and be the first in their families to graduate from higher secondary education.
But all great endeavors need assistance, and that’s where the Rotaract Club steps in, bringing Edge of Seven to campus and raising awareness about the non-profit’s mission.
“In high school, I did work with Peruvian Hearts which has a similar mission,” said Kathryn Middel-Katzenmeyer, a freshman from Broomfield majoring in General Business and a member of Rotaract. “I traveled with them last summer to a girls’ orphanage in Cuzco and it really solidified for me the fact that this is what I want to do; I want to work for a nonprofit and empower girls and create sustainable networks.”
Erika Schlichter, a second-year grad student from Norfolk, Virginia who is studying International Human Rights assists the nonprofit with the practical side of service initiatives as an intern for Edge of Seven.
“I’m a grants and development intern here in Denver responsible for grant prospecting and grant writing, which is especially important for such a young organization,” said Schlichter. “I’m concentrating in gender within my major and I’ve always been invested in girls’ empowerment. It’s been a great learning experience and mutually beneficial arrangement.”
DU Rotaract hopes to co-program with the Edge of Seven organization in the future.
DU Rotaract holds bi-weekly meetings to promote fellowship and hosts speakers who educate people about the community. The club also performs local and international projects.
For example, DU Rotaract has so far engaged in local endeavors including volunteering at the Children’s Hospital, organizing on-campus food drives and Community Engagement Fairs, but their effort to assist Edge of Seven with their overseas work demonstrates their initiative in developing and sharing international understanding—a goal set for them by Rotary International. The speakers they’ve hosted include a speaker from an organization called “Crutches for Africa.” Upcoming programs include a volunteer day at a children’s hospital, a “spring cleaning” food drive, and will be doing a plastic bag pickup on campus.
For more information on Edge of Seven, visit their website at www.edgeofseven.org. For information on DU Rotaract visit their Facebook or their OrgSync page. The club meets biweekly on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. in Anderson Academic Commons room 182.
