College Community Rallies for Student
By Kaleigh Brousseau '08

You can see them on wrists all around campus. No, they are not the newest fashion bracelets from Tiffany and Co. Rather, they are a show of support for a student who faced death just weeks ago, but who now breathes with new life. 

Senior Lindsay Briggs, former Editor-in-chief of The Summit, was diagnosed at birth with cystic fibrosis, a chronic lung disease that affects about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. The disease causes a thick, sticky mucus to develop in the lungs and can lead to life-threatening infections.

Students, staff and faculty members are proudly sporting purple bracelets around campus in support of Lindsay and her recovery from a recent double-lung transplant.

A minimum donation of one dollar was required for both a bracelet and a paper heart for donors to sign, dozens of which are now posted on the windows of the Student Government office.

The bracelets are just one of numerous efforts across campus to raise money for Lindsay and her family, who are living out of a Pittsburgh hotel while Lindsay recovers.

According to Pauline Dobrowski, associate vice president of Student Affairs, there has been enormous support for Lindsay and her family shown throughout the college community. Campus Ministry has raised over $2,700 from collections, and Sodexho Dining Services has made a donation of $1,000 to the Briggs family.

Dobrowski also said the Office of Advancement has set up an online giving website, which allows anyone to log on and make a donation to Lindsay and her family. The website – https://www.firstgiving.com/lindsaybriggs08 – is particularly useful for faculty and staff members who might not be able to donate in other ways, like through bracelet purchases.

“[We hope] the community can keep Lindsay in the forefront of their minds,” said Dobrowski. 

Students can help Lindsay and her family by attending a Brother Mike’s event in the Hill on Saturday, April 12. Twenty-five percent of the night’s proceeds will go to Lindsay and her family. Organizers are also asking for a $2 donation at the door.

In addition to these fundraising efforts, the SGA Executive Board has worked diligently to come up with other ways to raise money for Lindsay.

They recently raised almost $1,000 by donating $1 from every 50 days ticket purchase and $2 from every 25 Days purchase made by senior students.

“The Executive Board felt it was important for the students to have a part in supporting Lindsay, since she [is] a peer to us all,” said Deidre Hussey, executive board vice president. “Lindsay is also a valued member of Student Government due to her heavy involvement with The Summit, so we wanted to take part in the fundraising efforts to show the students’ support for Lindsay and her family.”

Students will also be able to support Lindsay and her family when they purchase Spring Weekend bracelets. For every bracelet, $2 will go to the Briggs family.

Hussey also said while purple bracelets are no longer being sold upstairs in the Commons, they will continue to be available at the Information Desk for the remainder of the year.

“The fundraising has been very successful so far…the Executive Board feels that the students have shown remarkable support for Lindsay and her family,” said Hussey.

This article appears courtesy of The Summit, which first published it on April 10, 2008.

04/15/08