(December 4, 2012)

Centenary students establish non-profit to enact global change

SHREVEPORT, LA — Three Centenary students are in the process of creating a new non-profit organization, Giving Back in Action. The organization will connect passionate people with resources they need to achieve their humanitarian and non-profit goals.

Junior Tia Landrum, along with seniors Jordan Ring and Paul Eugene, was inspired to create the non-profit at last year's World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Chicago. The group took the words of 1997 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jody Williams as a call to action.

"Her words resonated with the three of us in a profound way," said Ring. "She challenged us to imagine what the world could be if people took their passions and acted upon them—that if people act in a collective manner there is no limit to what can be accomplished. Needless to say, we accepted this challenge."

Eugene credits the Centenary community for introducing him to new viewpoints and connecting him with people who were equally as impassioned about social change.

"Academically, Centenary has prepared me for this initiative through classes like Bioethics, which promote an ethical and humanitarian approach to thinking about the policy and practice of healthcare in the United States and abroad," said Eugene. "Beyond academics, the Centenary community itself has connected me with like-minded people who are dedicated to using their areas of personal interest as a vehicle for global change."

Looking toward the future, Ring emphasized that Giving Back in Action will not only exist to benefit domestic non-profit entrepreneurs but also grow to encompass and provide needs for those on a global scale:

"Long-term, I see us creating a strong, global network of individuals acting collectively for sustainable change. More than anything, my hope is that our non-profit will become a resource that empowers people."

The launch for Giving Back in Action will be this Friday, December 7, from 8-11:00 p.m. in Centenary's Kilpatrick Auditorium. Taking the form of a fundraiser dance party with raffles and karaoke, donations will be accepted to help with the start-up costs of this organization.

For more information, visit Giving Back in Action.