Students, faculty and volunteers launched BJU’s first-ever Bruin Dive as a part of the Homecoming fundraiser for this year’s choice nonprofit, Let There Be Mom.
The first part of the Bruin Dive took place on Saturday morning during U.Day. Children picked out and decorated over 500 little stuffed bears to be dropped from a lift. The second part of the event took place during halftime of the Bruin’s game on Saturday night, where a helicopter dropped the bears onto the field.
Many societies and other student organizations participated by purchasing the bears. Epsilon Zeta Chi was recognized for being the society who purchased the most Bruin bears. All the proceeds from the Community Service Council’s Bruin Dive, the Homecoming T-shirt sales, the dunk booth and the University Marketing Association’s corporate sponsors went to this year’s Homecoming fundraiser choice, Let There Be Mom.
BJU presented over $6,600 to Kipra Anderson, founder of Let There Be Mom, during halftime of the men’s soccer game. Julie Fenn, senior business administration major and president of the UMA, said over 30 students were involved in planning and running the event. She said many members of the UMA were involved, and many students taking marketing classes volunteered to help with the Dive.
Fenn said her fellow UMA council members spent many hours planning the Dive.
“We worked very closely with the CSC on this event,” she said. “It’s given us [UMA] a really good opportunity to work closely with other student organizations on campus and establish relationships for future projects.” Alyssa Whaley, a junior communication student who has a personal understanding of the mission of Let There Be Mom because of her father’s passing when she was young, said she enjoyed being the event coordinator for the Dive.
“It’s really cool being a part of this event planning,” she said. “Especially when it’s for a charity that I’m so passionate about.” Whaley said she was excited the Dive and the whole fundraiser was going to help an organization that means so much to her and other BJU students.
“Just because you may have never heard of Let There Be Mom doesn’t mean it can’t have an impact on people you know,” she said.