In times of disaster such as the crisis in Haiti, every little bit helps.
The Dollar Difference, a fundraiser formulated by two students in the Global Nutrition Club at Ohio State, has been collecting donations on campus for the last two days.

The three-day event has been run by 36 volunteers, working in two-hour shifts at outdoor tables in front of Campbell and Independence Halls, despite adverse weather and icy temperatures.

Tessa Acker, president of the Global Nutrition Club, and treasurer Renee Dickman are the brain trust behind the fundraiser. The idea to create an opportunity for students to donate money was suggested by the club faculty advisor, Hugo Melgar-Quinonez.

“We figured if we could get a dollar from every student on campus, we could raise a substantial amount of money,” Acker said.

The fundraiser will take the money they receive between Monday and Wednesday to the American Red Cross organization, which will then put the funds towards Haiti relief. A confirmation of the club’s intentions to donate to the Red Cross is on each table during the event, Acker said.

“The Red Cross is an association that is very recognizable,” said Dickman. “We wanted something that people would trust, and that’s why we signed on with them.”

The Dollar Difference, which has raised $1,350 in its first two days of operation, has seen the generosity of students who want to do their part to contribute to this cause.

“I am blown away when people are out there thanking me for giving my time as they hand me a $20 bill,” Acker said.

Other organizations at OSU have also pledged their support, the club’s leaders said.

When the fatal earthquake struck Haiti and caused the death of more than 100,000 people on the island, social networks like Facebook and Twitter were the first media that allowed people across the globe to see the true nature of the devastation. These same social networks have contributed to spreading the news about the Global Nutrition Club’s fundraiser at OSU.

“The clubs that signed on to help just saw it through something like Facebook or e-mail, and they contacted us three minutes later saying they wanted to help,” Dickman said. “It’s such a relief for us to know that there are people who will sit out in the cold when it’s 28 degrees outside for this.”

Both president and treasurer have a personal connection to the tragedy overseas. Dickman studied abroad in Honduras, an impoverished country that looks wealthy in comparison to Haiti, she said.

Acker spent the past summer in the Dominican Republic, Haiti’s neighboring country.

“I’ve known that Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere,” Acker said. “For this devastating of a disaster to happen to people whose lives are already next to impossible, it’s heart-wrenching.”

Both women are convinced that whatever amount is raised through their program will make some sort of impact in the effort to rehabilitate the nation of Haiti.

“To know that maybe my dollar bought a box of gloves to help the nurses that are down there helps relieve some of the pain that people are feeling for Haiti,” said Dickman.

Volunteers are taking donations today from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. outside of Campbell and Independence Halls.