December 8, 2011

University hosts Bigger and Better Fundraiser

The Honors College sponsored an unusual fundraiser to benefit Jacob’s Place, a homeless shelter that serves families in White County. On Nov. 10, students at Harding University were given one simple instruction: start with a paper clip and trade it for something bigger and better. 

The Bigger and Better Fundraiser began Nov. 28 and ended with an auction Dec. 3. Throughout the week, a number of students spent their days trading one thing for another, hoping to finish with the biggest and best item. The student with the biggest and best item would win a $100 gift card to Wal-Mart.

The idea came from student President of the Honors Council, Stephen McBride. A senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Williamstown, N.J., McBride was inspired by a blog where a man started trading with one red paperclip and ended with a house. McBride thought this would be an interesting activity to do on a larger scale.

“When we launched the idea to students, I had no idea what to expect,” McBride said. “The turnout was as much as I could have hoped for. Some students ended up with up to 20 different items.”

McBride’s first trade was for hand sanitizer, then a cup, fishing reel, Gameboy Advanced, iPod classic, pocket watch, laptop computer, sound system and an iPad 2. McBride finished with eight things, which included an alto saxophone, Mac mini desktop computer, iPod touch, TV, mini fridge, signed Lady Antebellum poster, and book bag. The student with the biggest and best item was Michael Crockett, a freshman health and kinesiology major from Searcy. Crockett’s final trade was for a 1999 Dodge Stratus.  

The final trade items were auctioned on Dec. 3. Through the auction, students raised a total of $2,119.50. A check was presented today to Steve Miguet, board president of Jacob’s Place. McBride said they hoped to continue the event each semester. Plans for future events include allowing more days for students to trade, adding online capability of tracking a participant’s trades, and even trading online by a method similar to eBay.

For more information, contact Stephen McBride at smcbride@harding.edu.