Two Emerson College students raise over $500K for victims of marathon bombing
Two students at Emerson College decided to make and sell t-shirts to benefit victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Their campaign went viral and they’ve raised over half a million dollars.
Anna Buckley of Emerson’s student newspaper The Berkeley Beacon reports.
Boston Strong raises $562,000
Two Emerson students’ Boston Strong fundraiser has sold over 37,000 shirts, according to their page on inktothepeople.com. Initially hoping to sell 110, the pair has far exceeded this goal and raised over $562,000 for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings as of Wednesday.
Nicholas Reynolds, a junior visual and media arts major, and Chris Dobens, a freshman marketing communication major, said they initially began the campaign as a way for the average college student to help those affected by the attack. The shirts cost $20 and feature the words “BOSTON STRONG” in yellow lettering on a blue cotton T-shirt, the same colors of the Boston Athletic Association, the organization that hosts the marathon each year.
Though $6 is usually deducted from the donation for printing and shipping fees, Ink to the People agreed to donate all $20 to One Fund Boston for the first 1,500 shirts sold. According to Dobens, now $15 per shirt will go to the fund created by Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino to raise money for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
After reaching their goal of raising $500,000 by April 22, Reynolds said Ink to the People contacted the duo to replicate the campaign, because it automatically expired after seven days, but there was still so much demand for it. Reynolds said he and Dobens plan on continuing the fundraiser until requests for the product diminish.