Midway to Mother's Day campaign started by WC deans

The Westhampton College dean's office staff debuted its "Midway to Mother's Day" campaign this week by selling red Camelback water bottles that students could purchase as gifts for their mothers in Tyler Haynes Commons.

The dean's office partnered with the American Heart Association's "Go Red" campaign to raise women's awareness of risk factors for heart disease, as well as raise funds for the American Heart Association, according to the Westhampton College web page.

Associate Dean Charm Bullard said the idea for the Midway to Mother's Day Campaign had emerged as Juliette Landphair, Westhampton College dean, had begun meeting with Lisa Patton, a representative of the American Heart Association. "The two of them started talking and had good conversations concerning women's health," Bullard said.

Landphair wanted to do something proactive to promote the dean's office within the student body, Bullard said. "In our office, we find ourselves really reactive to situations in terms of alcohol, etc., so we were looking to do something proactive for a change," she said.

"We wanted to just engage with our students and do something nice for them, especially since we know a lot of our students are very close with their mothers; we wanted to give them a way to appreciate their moms," Bullard said. "We've also had lots of men sign up, and that's great."

When asked how many bottles they hoped to sell, Bullard said the staff wasn't aiming for a specific number. She said all of the proceeds were going to benefit the American Heart Association.

Kathy Moore, a representative of the American Heart Association, thought the idea was a sweet gesture to moms and also for a good cause.

One of AHA's goals has been to get college students, specifically sororities, more involved with the "Go Red" mission, said Chelsea Slate, another American Heart Association representative. As heart disease is the number one killer among women, Slate said that spreading the word at a younger age would be preventative in the long run and make their mission stronger.

Priced at $25, the water bottles will be mailed directly to students' mothers or mother-figures; cash, check or Spidercard payments are accepted. Each water bottle reads "I love you Mom" and is accompanied by a card with seven tips to stay heart healthy. Students may also write a personalized note to their moms on the back of the card, Bullard said.

Although Friday, October 22, was their last day of tabling, Bullard said students would still have the opportunity to purchase the bottles in the dean's office until the end of this week.

Contact reporter Rachel Oplinger at rachel.oplinger@richmond.edu