Galloway School Student Group Raises $40K for Darfur Advocacy, Named Darfur Heroes

WASHINGTON -- The Save Darfur Coalition today honored students from Atlanta's Galloway School as its June Darfur Heroes for their creative awareness and fundraising techniques to help end the Darfur genocide. The student group has organized small Darfur benefit concerts since spring 2007 and this year raised the profile of the annual event by partnering with Collective Soul for a concert at The Tabernacle. The student-organized event was attended by more than 2,300 individuals and raised more than $40,000 for Darfur advocacy.

The Heroes program, started by the coalition in 2007, highlights individuals and groups who play a crucial role in helping end the violence in Darfur through awareness-raising and other efforts. Coalition officials said The Galloway School students' creative activism includes them in the ranks of many others who work tirelessly to end the Darfur crisis.  

The Galloway School's efforts were also a part of the Dollars for Darfur National School Challenge, sponsored by the Save Darfur Coalition, which included participants from 150 middle and high schools across the United States and raised nearly $110,000 for advocacy and humanitarian relief efforts in Darfur. For their efforts, student organizers Katherine McKerrow and Megan Maziar -- along with students and advisors from the other top four participating schools -- were invited to Washington tomorrow to lobby lawmakers to do more to end the violence and suffering in Darfur. 

"As soon as our class began to understand exactly what was taking place in Darfur we knew that we had to take a stand," wrote McKerrow and Maziar. "We decided that raising money for Darfur would go a long way, but raising awareness is what would truly make a difference."

The full text of McKerrow and Maziar's blog entry can be found here: http://blogfordarfur.org/2009/06/09/darfur-heroes-organize-collective-soul-benefit-concert/.

"Students have proven time and time again to be some of the most relentless activists in the Darfur advocacy community, and The Galloway School students are yet another example of this," said coalition spokesperson Ashley Roberts. "Their tireless dedication to improve the lives of those they'll likely never meet helps grow the movement to bring lasting peace to Darfur and all of Sudan."

Darfur Heroes will feature one outstanding activist's story each month -- through a blog featured on Save Darfur's website -- not just to recognize those individuals who have helped build the movement, but also to inspire others with unique awareness and fundraising tactics. Previous Darfur Heroes have included "Big Kenny" Alphin of the country music duo Big & Rich, Miriam and Jacob Hodesh -- who deleted their wedding registry and instead asked friends and family to make donations to help end the Darfur genocide, and Christy Anderson -- daughter of Salt-N-Pepa's DJ Spinderella who was featured on MTV's "My Super Sweet 16" and asked party guests to donate to Save Darfur.

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About the coalition: The Save Darfur Coalition -- an alliance of more than 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations -- raises public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and mobilizes a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of people throughout the Darfur region. The coalition's member organizations represent 130 million people of all ages, races, religions and political affiliations united together to help the people of Darfur. For more information on the coalition, please visit www.SaveDarfur.org.