Young women believe in change, hope and inspiration
March 7, 2011
Two young Schererville residents have teamed up to make a difference by establishing their own nonprofit organization.
Recent Purdue University Calumet graduate Egle Vaitiekute, and current PUC student Sylwia Pilat, started the We Believe Project last summer, after traveling to several states and devoting most of their summer break to volunteering for those in need.
Currently, the We Believe Project is gathering donations for Nazareth Home in East Chicago, a foster home for infants and toddlers. The We Believe Project will host a fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, 1410 U.S. 41, Schererville. Ten percent of each sale will be donated to the foster home.
"The We Believe Project wants to ensure that this foster home has everything they need to succeed and give these children hope," said Vaitiekute in a news release.
The We Believe Project will also be accepting monetary donations and needed items including disposable diapers, baby wipes, newborn clothes, baby lotion and more. If interested in donating and/or attending, contact info@webelieveproject.org or follow them on Twitter.com/WeBelieveOrg and/or facebook.com/WeBelieveProject to get the full list of items needed.
For every donated item, the donor will receive a ticket for a drawing to win a $50 gift card for Red Robin.
Last summer, the young women did research and contacted organizations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, then traveling to each of those states to volunteer. They helped Habitat for Humanity remodel homes, provided the first help received by a lady victimized by Hurricane Katrina five years ago, packaged goods for overseas orphans at the Starfish Orphan Ministry and helped feed more than 700 homeless men in Nashville.
When they returned, they knew they wanted to continue volunteering and inspire others to volunteer.
They have since recruited three others, including Vaitiekute's brother, Ugnius Vaitiekus, and his friend Goran Vrcel, who are helping with the launch this month of a We Believe Project website, logo, and other creative design projects.
The website will detail volunteer opportunities in communities across the U.S. To join the We Believe Project or provide the organization with information on charity and volunteer opportunities, r-mailinfo@webelieveproject.org.
The We Believe Project has also partnered with Teens for Jeans and collected 408 pairs of jeans to donate to homeless teenagers across the U.S. and Canada.
The organization's slogan is "Change, Hope and Inspiration," and its mission is to volunteer while inspiring others to want to volunteer and take an active role in their own communities.
This article was originally published in The Northwest Indiana Times.
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