{"id":37233,"date":"2018-03-09T08:51:14","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T13:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=37233"},"modified":"2018-03-14T10:57:27","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T14:57:27","slug":"initial-emu-crowdfunding-campaigns-to-fund-solar-boost-mj-sharp-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2018\/initial-emu-crowdfunding-campaigns-to-fund-solar-boost-mj-sharp-scholarship\/","title":{"rendered":"Initial EMU crowdfunding campaigns to fund solar boost, MJ Sharp scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Eastern Mennonite University crowdfunding campaign is closing in on covering the cost of a student-initiated solar project that will boost the university\u2019s solar output by 40 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Student Solar Panel Project<\/span><\/a> (SSPP) is one of two campaigns featured with the new EMU Crowdfunding venture, a joint effort by students and the EMU development office to promote student-focused and student-driven projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second campaign is for the <\/span>MJ Sharp Peace and Justice Endowed Scholarship<\/span><\/a>, which will provide approximately $5,000 per year for graduate students studying conflict transformation and restorative justice with the <\/span>Center for Justice and Peacebuilding<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The collaborative nature of EMU Crowdfunding brings together students and Development, \u201can interface that doesn\u2019t automatically happen, given the spheres in which we operate,\u201d said Braydon Hoover, associate director of development. \u201cIt has been both a joy and source of motivation to work with such dedicated and inspiring groups of students on these campaigns,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis collaboration sets a precedent for a new type of partnership, which has positive returns for everyone involved,\u201d said senior Harrison Horst, who initiated the solar project. \u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier that Development is as excited as they are to join us in working towards our goal.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The $12,000 solar panel project crowdfunding goal will be matched by an anonymous donor who wishes to inspire young people with the importance of carbon neutrality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Applications for additional campaigns will be received starting in August. Projects included in <\/span>EMU Crowdfunding Campaigns<\/span><\/a> will reflect a variety of tangible and intangible projects (such as solar panels or scholarships, respectively) and the diversity of EMU\u2019s undergraduate and graduate programs and fields of study, as well as sync with overall university strategies and priorities, Hoover said.<\/span><\/p>\n