GlobeMed Hosts Dodgeball Fundraiser

On Saturday, March 15, GlobeMed at Middlebury held a dodgeball tournament to raise money for Gardens for Health International.

GlobeMed is a national organization that has chapters at over 50 college campuses across the U.S. Each chapter is partnered with a unique, non-governmental organization to address health disparities and improve global health. The College’s chapter is paired with Gardens for Health International (GHI), which is located in Rwanda.

Students in GlobeMed are educated and trained to advocate for a long-lasting solution to chronic childhood malnutrition. Through its partnerships with grassroots leaders and the Rwandan government, GlobeMed works to give families the tools, knowledge and resources to create a sustainable solution to nutritional independence, rooted in prevention and self-sufficiency rather than dependency on short-term food aid.  Since its partnership started in Fall 2011, GlobeMed at Middlebury College and GHI have raised $15,000 to support the organization’s efforts.

This year’s grant money is focused on the capacity-building needs of the organization. Inspired by their experiences working with GHI in Rwanda last summer, Cate Stanton ’15.5 and Ryan Brewster ’14 decided that fundraisers targeted towards funding operational expenses, such as transportation costs and staffing needs, would help the most to expand GHI’s impact on the surrounding community.

Stanton, Margaret Reed ’14 and the rest of the GlobeMed promoted, advertised and staffed the tournament.  In total, five teams played, and each team paid a $5 entry fee. Greg Swartz ’17.5 competed in the tournament on the Channel Four News Team – he promised that even though his team did not win a single game, “we’ve got everyone right where we want them for next year.” Participants agreed that they would like to participate in this event in the future.

Stanton states that although the club did not reach its financial goal, they hope the tournament will become a popular event in the future. To improve for next year, Stanton says the club will not host the event on the morning of St. Patricks Day, and will do more to market and endorse the event.

GlobeMed’s objective of providing a lasting solution for nutrition underscores the college’s interest in international affairs, providing aid at different geographical scales, and applying classroom concepts to real world situations.

GlobeMed has several events planned for the rest of the semester, including an April 4 concert featuring student bands, a five-kilometer race and an event at Two Brothers Tavern. The club is also hosting a screening of the film Escape Fire on April 1 and is hosting speaker Joel Lamstein from John Show Inc. on April 21. Both events will be free and open to students and members of the community.