This weekend will mark the second annual Penn State Blue Out.
Beaver Stadium will be donned in blue as a sign of support for child abuse prevention. All proceeds from the T-shirt sales will be donated to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.
Donations are also going to be accepted on Saturday outside the stadium.
It is encouraging to see that this Blue Out is being made into a tradition.
But this may one day grow into the most important tradition we have.
On Saturday, more than 100,000 people will walk into that stadium and send a message to the world.
On Saturday, more than 100,000 people will make a statement that the Penn State community hasn’t forgotten, nor will we ever forget. Every single shot of the stadium will be tinted in blue — and that will be a powerful vision for the rest of the country to see.
This Blue Out will also act as a conversation starter, getting people to talk about the issue of child abuse.
By wearing blue to this game, we are sending a message of support to those affected by sexual abuse — at Penn State or elsewhere. But it doesn’t end there.
Last year, we raised $22,000 for the Blue Out. This year, let’s make it even more.
This new tradition has an opportunity to get bigger and better every year. Just as THON has grown with time, this too. If every person in the stadium gives just 25 cents, we will have raised more than $25,000 — and surpassed last year’s total. This should be the goal. Every single year, let’s surpass our amount raised the previous year.
This money goes to a cause that hits very close to home with the Penn State community and affects many more across the world.
We should take a few pointers from THON and solicit money in a similar way. A canning weekend for child abuse prevention would be an incredibly powerful new tradition to start.
This second annual Blue Out has an endless amount of opportunities awaiting the student body.
We can go no where but up with this idea.
And with a student body as passionate as Penn State’s when it comes to community service, there is no doubt we can take this Blue Out to new levels. And, we should.
This is something we should strive for throughout the year. We can go above and beyond $15 Blue Out T-shirts next year. We should build upon each new aspect of this Blue Out.
One Heart, a student group founded last year which is dedicated to child abuse prevention causes on campus, is in the midst of taking over organizing the Blue Out event.
Hopefully, this group will continue to expand and grow as a driving force on campus that will be able to strengthen this movement even more over the years.
As Penn Staters, it is our duty to support this cause and make it into something that will be able to make a lasting effect.
As students, we can facilitate a larger movement. Let’s start canning for child abuse prevention.
Let’s start getting more and more students involved. Let’s show the world how we can make a difference in the lives of those affected by child abuse. And it starts Saturday. Everyone buy your Blue Out shirt, donate your spare change and lend a hand in what should be a permanent tradition at Penn State from now on.
