Waves of Aid hosted their first fundraiser for SEWA International in collaboration with the CHS Rock Club last Saturday, Feb. 15. The organizers and DECA members Bella Averilla and Sahana Sivakumar raised around $1200 to go towards Hurricane Helene and Milton relief for their Community Giving Project.
“We’re raising funds for Hurricane Milton relief,” Averilla said. “We chose this nonprofit because we have heard about the environmental work they’ve done in Houston and wanted to help and learn more about the service they offer.”
Part of the pair’s motivation for taking on this non-profit was also their own experience living through Hurricane Beryl and empathy for those affected by Hurricane Helene.
“We couldn’t even begin to imagine how devastating the category five hurricane coupled with the other hurricane could have been in Florida,” Sivakumar said. “We saw pictures of the impact…literally entire houses were destroyed.”
Because this was their first project, Sivakumar and Averilla said that the two ran into a few issues while planning the talent show: having to troubleshoot weather conditions, fix scheduling issues and notably communicating with outside sources complicated the situation for the pair.
“It was a really stressful process, but when we realized communication was the root cause of our problems we worked through them [and] ensured our team was updated,” Averilla said.
Despite their fair share of hiccups during the process, Averilla shares that this experience has really enlightened her.
“I chose this [project] specifically because personally, I wanted to develop skills in management and communication and throughout this process, I have really learned a lot,” Averilla said.
Although it is unclear what will happen with Waves of Aid in the future, Sivakumar and Averilla both say that they’re considering taking on more projects in the future.
“I plan to do more fundraiser work in the future outside of school,” Averilla said “I currently have my eyes on a non profit called Disabled American Veterans, which helps veterans readjust to everyday life. I will definitely consider doing another Community Giving Project again for this non profit in the future.”
