This semester, Suffolk welcomes a new club where creativity and compassion unite. Crafting for Charity is all about working on fun projects while connecting with others who are passionate about giving back.
The club’s president, Isha Barua, a junior computer science major, started the club with her friend and Vice President, Kelsang Ghimire, a junior biology major.
“We both love creating aesthetic things and doing crafts. So we wanted to create a cute little hangout club,” said Barua. “We were like, oh, what if we actually did? What’s stopping us?”
After gathering a few friends for their e-board and securing advisor, Heather Stern, a creativity and innovation professor that Barua had, Crafting for Charity was ready and the girls couldn’t have been more excited.
Their plan is to start each semester with members voting on one non-profit from their list of gathered charitable options where they will focus their donations for the rest of the term. Current options include animal shelters, homeless centers, food services and environmental organizations.
At the end of the semester, they’ll host a fun wrap-up party to celebrate their success in donating to the chosen charity, hoping to inspire pride in their members for what they’ve accomplished.
The club values community building and wants members to have a safe space where they don’t feel pressured to donate, but also can find a relaxing fun place where they can be creative for a good purpose while connecting with others.
“I want the communities that are around us to see Suffolk as a support system where they can rely on a university that truly cares and gives back,” Barua said.
The members hope people will attend the bi-weekly meetings for the joy of crafting and to have a creative space to express themselves.
“Whether it’s sharing time or creativity or resources, I want people to kind of feel like generosity is a second nature,” said Barua. “Through the crafting, we get to see first hand how the small acts can give a big impact on the charities that we choose.”
The club provides all the materials for the crafts, allowing members to create whatever they have planned for the day and take their finished projects home with them.
For their first general meeting Feb. 4, the team couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome.
The members were provided with mini canvases, glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint and Mochinut donuts, allowing them to snack, paint and enjoy some much-needed creative release.
“Our first meeting actually went really amazing, which I’m really really happy and proud of,” saidBarua. “Everyone talked amongst each other, and they got to meet new people. We had 11 people, which was way more than I expected.”
Barua herself is an artist herself with even her own Etsy shop called “cloudyartsshop” that she uses to sell her artwork. She hopes Crafting for Charity can bring comfort to other artists or just students who want a fun place to express themselves.
“My favorite hobby is painting. I like to make stickers and prints and I’ve sold my canvas paintings,” she said. “Art is something I really, really enjoy and something I find comfort in.”
With already so much interest, the girls have high hopes for the club. Barua has plenty of craft ideas lined up for future meetings.
“For our next meeting, our plan is to do something with the more hands-on, like clay to create cute little key chains or picture holders,” said Barua.
While starting a club can seem daunting and time-consuming as a student, Barua believes that if you have a passion and want to help build a better community at Suffolk, you can’t hold back.
“I feel like if you take the first step, whether it’s gathering a few friends or reaching out for support, I feel like you could have people see your passion and your purpose,” she said. “You’ll never know the impact unless you actually put it out there. So I say, just go for it.”
