Jan. 2, 2008
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By Cross Country Student-Athlete Rob Whiting
Editor’s Note: Each month “Commodore Nation” will ask a varsity athlete to sound off on a point of personal interest. A native of Fernandina Beach, Fla., Whiting is a junior on Vanderbilt’s cross country team. He also is an Ingram Scholar.
What started as a small way to help underprivileged students, Vanderbilt Students for Students (VSS) has morphed into something that has the potential to affect more people in more ways than initially imagined. It was just last September when I, along with several teammates and friends, founded the campus organization directed to help students at Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville meet the financial requirements that go along with making college a reality. The organization does this through two primary mediums: first, we help students find and apply for college scholarships and financial aid; second, and perhaps more importantly, we raise funds to create our own scholarship–a scholarship raised by students, for students.
The birth of the organization came about after a year of experience at Vanderbilt. Over that time, I had talked with many students about poverty, college and their personal situations. It seemed that for most of them–myself included–attending college was a given. This is not the case for students in low-income families. From what I understood through a sociology class, the idea of college just isn’t ingrained in their culture. It’s not expected. Moreover, as a substantial beneficiary of academic scholarships entering college and a strong network of family and friends, it finally hit home that not everyone starts at the same point in life. I knew I could have a tangible effect on this problem.
Since its founding, VSS has transformed into Students for Students Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. This was prompted primarily by an anonymous donation of $2,500 contingent on us attaining 501(c)3 status, and the subsequent realization that becoming nonprofit would open the door to larger donations and greater opportunities. It certainly has — we have since solicited more than $1,500, and we are now able to apply for various grants. But the new status is not without obstacles. Finding a lawyer who would do the application quickly and cheaply was difficult, and we are now faced with the prospect of dealing with the IRS.
Nevertheless, we’ve already experienced great successes, such as all of the small fundraisers and our signature event, the Vandy Mile Bonanza. Held in early April, the Mile Bonanza is a Nashville-wide running event with prizes, awards, food, music and good times. Last year’s inaugural event saw more than 150 registrants and raised more than $1,500. We anticipate next year’s event to be even better. Similarly, we expect our organization’s successes, such as the $2,000 scholarship we awarded last spring, to build upon each other.
Should anyone want to give money, volunteer, share ideas or ask questions, please see our Web site at http://studentorgs.vanderbilt.edu/vss/.
