Virginia Fernandez, along with Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), raised over $1,000 to donate to Puerto Rico and Mexico. The event, Spikes For Charity, allowed students from the ASU community to bond over a friendly game of volleyball.
Gabrielle Olivera — Reporter:
It’s a Saturday afternoon filled with a simple game of volleyball on the sand. The catch is, this event has been planned for months - all by a girl named Virginia who wanted to do something good after watching the place she called home be destroyed.
Vanesa Contreas Rodriguez — Business Entrepreneurship Junior:
This event, we kind of got the idea from Virginia, who is our public relations officer in SHPE, the eboard, and we obviously all heard about the disasters in Puerto Rico and Mexico, so we wanted to do our part as the SHPE chapter at ASU. So, we decided to organize a volleyball tournament to raise funds to help our families in Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Olivera:
Virginia considers Puerto Rico her home, and this past year, it was difficult for her to see the damage done by Hurricane Maria.
Virginia Fernandez— Supply Management and Biochemical Engineering Senior:
It was difficult. Fortunately, my Grandmother wasn't home at the time, but just knowing that she couldn't go home for months, it was really hard knowing everything that she has back home and her friends back there, just knowing they were struggling and suffering.
Olivera:
Virginia, along with SHPE, began planning Spike it For Charity -- an event in which teams from all over the ASU community came together to compete in a friendly game of Volleyball.
Fernandez:
I think it's important to raise awareness and maintain awareness to what's going on in other places regardless to whether you have a connection there are not. I think often other people, other countries, they need our help, and we should do our best to give it to them with events like this.
Olivera:
Virginia believes everyone that participated was a winner.
Fernandez:
Absolutely. You win when you help out, when you contribute, and when you show that you care. Everybody who came out here today definitely cares.
Olivera:
Spike it for Charity raised a little over $1,000, which will be split evenly to be donated to Puerto Rico and Mexico.
For the State Press, I'm Gaby Olivera reporting.
Correction: A previous version of this video did not include the title of two interviews. The video has been updated to reflect this change.
Reach the reporter at golivera@asu.edu or follow @gabynolivera on Twitter.
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