Local High Schoolers Donate $7,000 to GI-NET

On Friday, I had the honor of accepting a donation of over $7,000 from Students for Change in Darfur of Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland. Students for Change in Darfur is a student-run Darfur advocacy group founded by Maria Sebastian, Hiral Padia and Molly Mazuk in 2006, after the girls learned about the conflict in their Issues Facing Society Club. Since that time, they've organized numerous events for Darfur, including a rally and march in Washington, DC. The donation that they presented to GI-NET on Friday was the result of a recent Jog-A-Thon and Hope for Darfur benefit concert that the students put together.

Beyond raising money for Darfur, the group has been instrumental in divesting Montgomery County from companies operating in Sudan. These students joined activists across the county who lobbied their council members, wrote letters, made phone calls, and more. In addition, Maria testified before the County Council on behalf of student activists to voice their concern for the issue. The Montgomery County divestment bill passed unanimously in April, making the county only the second county in the nation to divest. Maria says, "It was truly an incredible experience because it was a movement started by students and made successful by students!"

Thanks to Students for Change in Darfur for all of their hard work!

~John Bagwell, STAND National Student Coordinator