“Kegs for a cause” – now that’s a concept college students could learn from.

This past Friday, in correlation with our own form of Parent’s Weekend, my roommates decided it was time to give back to the community.

With a combined effort from the seven living in my house and help from some our dads, we pooled our money together to get a couple kegs in hopes of raising money for the Make a Wish Foundation.

What better way to get money from low income college students than a little entertainment and some beer with all proceeds going to an organization known for fulfilling the wishes of children with life threatening illnesses.

My roommate’s dad and sister made signs, hanging them throughout our basement so people understood where their donation would be going. That same dad also helped collect money from party goers, thanking anyone who donated.

By the end of the night, counting the money we would eventually get back from the keg deposit, we were able to raise $300 to give to the Make a Wish Foundation.

I don’t only feel good about this event because we were able to raise that much money, but I was very pleased to see the generosity of college-aged students.

College students, especially ones on Eastern’s campus, sometimes get a bad wrap for being careless and insincere toward anyone other than themselves.

I knew there was genuine kindness deep inside most college students that many people don’t see and Friday’s event proved it.

At first, most people thought our signs were a big joke and we were just trying to scam them of a few bucks. But once they found out it would be helping a good cause, they were surprised and kind of impressed.

Though there was one individual who was more concerned with his current financial status and wasn’t even willing to dish out a measly $4, there were several people who donated more than the money asked of them.

We had people who came back throughout the night just to add to the money they had already given. I had one guy who didn’t even attend the party throw $10 in my direction once he heard what the money would be going toward.

People who don’t even drink alcohol were willing to open their wallets for the cause of an area child.

This is by no means a pat on the back for those who helped organize the event, but a way of making people realize they can do good things in simple ways. Two kegs and a little music produced $300 in a mere three to four hours.

Both Friday night and Saturday we received a great response from people who attended and even those who did not attend.

We heard people say how they wish they would have thought of the idea and that this type of party needs to happen again. It is nice to know so many students were excited to help out and wanted to continue to help.

Upper teenagers and 20-something students can get together for the good of the community without relying on a committee or board to get it done for them. Every little bit counts and no contribution is too small.