Though today is St. Valentine's Day, traditionally a day of starry-eyed affection and adoration, some University students are devoting their hearts and time not only to loved ones, but also to less fortunate individuals.
Sparkling with a plethora of flowers, pink cards and cloying candy, the tables in Frist Campus Center — where the groups have set up shop — are central spots for several community service efforts.
In a twist on the usual secret crush guessing game, Princeton Against Cancer Together, the Organization of Women Leaders and campus sororities have collaborated to raise money for cancer research by selling "crushes."
The groups are selling bottles of Crush soda for one dollar each and delivering them to all parts of campus. For an additional dollar, the crush can find out the identity of the secret Valentine. But admirers can withhold their name for a fee of three dollars.
All profits from the project, Send-A-Crush, will go to a cancer research organization, said Krissy Scurry '04, who helped coordinate the fund raiser.
PACT is still deciding which organization would devote their profits most efficiently toward research. In addition to the main goal of fund-raising for charity, Send-A-Crush hopes to encourage community service efforts among various undergraduate student groups.
"I thought it would be an easy and fun way to raise money for cancer research and for sororities to come together for community service," Scurry said.
Student Volunteers Council had a similar goal in mind with their Mentors Table, set up yesterday in the campus center.
A combined effort of all the SVC mentoring projects, including Big Brothers and Sisters, Academic Success Today, Rowan Towers Mentoring and Isles Mentoring, the booth served as a Valentine-making factory where volunteers could collect candies for the people they mentor.
SVC Community Involvement Coordinator Cindy Casazza '04 said that SVC hoped to unite its volunteers by expanding the activity to include several SVC projects.
"This is to form more of a community between SVC volunteers," she said.
One other project – Any Given Thursday – will take advantage of Valentine's Day spirit by setting up its venues today in Frist and on McCosh Walk. Steve Berneman '02, co-founder of Any Given Friday, changed the day of his monthly project to have students make Valentines for senior citizens in town.
At his most recent event, in December, students made 1500 sandwiches for the homeless.
The rewards of such service projects seem to be as infectious as love. Scurry recalled the delighted recipients of Crushes.
"It's been so fun to deliver them," Scurry said. "It really brightens someone's day, makes them happy, like, 'Someone thought of me.' "
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