If we were to document how we spend our time during college, most of us would find that studying, recreational hobbies, and even partying constitute the bulk of how we spend our days. While many of us manage to include philanthropy in our activities at University of Central Florida, others find little time available to give back. Sophomore Sarah Benckenstein is one UCF student whose dedication to her cause has made it easy for fellow Knights to make an impact, too.
Sarah is a full-time student, member of the guitar club and an active member of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority, through which she often participates in philanthropy events. Outside of this, Sarah has spent years contributing to a cause with a special place in her heart, finding a cure for juvenile diabetes. Inspired by her older sister, who has suffered from juvenile diabetes for 25 years, Sarah created the Rock for the Cure concert in order to raise awareness and money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The premier Rock for the Cure concert took place in Sarah’s hometown of Coral Springs and featured 13 local bands whose versatility ranged from Pink Floyd covers to heavy metal, pleasing audience members of all ages eager to lend a hand and enjoy quality entertainment for only a few dollars. After concessions, donations, and ticket sales, Sarah raised $6,500, a feat she accomplished with a philanthropy brought to life by her motivation alone.
Now a seasoned philanthropist and event coordinator, Sarah is taking her efforts to the next level. In Spring of 2011, she hopes to conduct an even more successful Rock for the Cure featuring the Jonas Brothers, whose lives have also been affected by diabetes. With a professional venue and more well-known artists, Sarah foresees an even greater turnout and thus a greater contribution toward the cause for which she has developed an inextinguishable passion.
With the assistance of Pepsi’s Refresh program and her peers, Sarah has the potential of receiving a $50,000 grant for her philanthropy idea, without which she may not be able to bring her dream to fruition. Knights can help by simply going to her page at http://www.refresheverything.com/rockforthecure and clicking “vote for this idea” at either the top right or bottom of the description. You can vote up to once a day by either signing up with an e-mail address or using your Facebook account.
Voting ends June 30th, so don’t forget to bookmark http://www.refresheverything.com/rockforthecure and vote every day you can, as no positive action is too small.
