By Taylor Justin
When Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake on January 12, the world responded with monetary donations and relief efforts. Celebrities hosted televised fundraisers to raise awareness and compassion.
SCAD professors, staff and students at both the Atlanta and Savannah campuses answered the call by using their creativity and talent in unique ways, all with the goal of raising money to keep hope alive in Haiti
Hearts for Haiti
Marcus Mister, director of Student Life for SCAD-Atlanta, organized the Hearts for Haiti campaign, which produced greeting cards with a special message printed in English, French and Creole for sale in both Atlanta and through ShopSCAD in Savannah between February 11 and March 12. The proceeds benefited the Maison d’Enfants par la Foi orphanage (Children’s Home for the Faith) in Carrefour, Haiti, where more than 125 children live in tents but need to be relocated to safer environments.
“The Hearts for Haiti campaign was a huge success,” said Mister. “Each [Residence Life] hall was challenged to see which would raise the most money by selling the Heart to Haiti cards.” More than $500 was raised to date.
“Nets, Locks and Erasers”
The Hearts for Haiti campaign spread the Atlanta campus to Savannah and the classroom of professor Sean Trapani.
Trapani, an advertising professor, wrote the book “Nets, Locks, and Erasers,” which first began as a lecture and grew into the advertising department’s Introduction to Advertising text book. It was “written as a tool for students who were new to studying marketing to adverting,” said Trapani, who describes the book as a simple metaphor which uses short narrative, illustration and Seussian rhyme to illustrate its points. He worked with professors Art Novak, Lindsay Hadley, Tim Lisko, John Foerster and Julie Lieberman to produce the book.
“Since, the book was born from a spirit of service, I only thought it fitting that its profits be used for some sort of charitable endeavor,” said Trapani.
He explained that the department’s professors guide the dispersion of the after-production profits from the book’s sales and this year professors Chercy Lott and Micj Ulichen recommended the Haitian relief efforts.
Sales of the book raised $150 to buy 150 of the SCAD Hearts for Haiti art cards.
Copies of “Nets, Locks and Erasers” are available through amazon.com and createspace.com. Buyers can direct that the proceeds go toward Haiti relief through the Createspace website.
Metals and Jewelry
Students were moved to help as well. Torie Fielding and Bonnie Bramante, both Metals and Jewelry majors, organized a workshop, “Help Adorn Haiti,” with the Black Student Association. Students and volunteers made jewelry that was sold at the SCAD Savannah International Festival in April. The profits were donated to the American Red Cross’s Haiti relief efforts.