After the typhoon on the Philippines on Nov. 8, some Iowa State students wanted to help victims. Diane Fru, senior in psychology, however, decided to step up and do something. She and her friends initiated a fundraising campaign called “Hearts for the Philippines”.

“I saw the destruction on TV and just knew that I had to do something, but I didn’t know where to start,” Fru said. “So I started to call my friends and several student leaders that I’ve come into contact with over the last few years.”

After that, Fru said, things turned into a wave and more and more students joined in to help.

“We had our first meeting on Friday and I saw people I didn’t even know,” Fru said. “The turnout was just crazy.”

As of now, there are about 20 students helping with “Hearts for the Philippines”. They work in one hour shifts and have their booth set up at every event of International week.

“The team is still growing. We’ve managed to make flyers and posters,” Fru said. “Also, every donator will receive a ribbon in the colors of the Filipino flag – red, blue, white and yellow.”

Fru said on the first meeting on Friday, the team decided to raise money at Dance Night on Friday night. The group had to plan and set up for that very fast.

“Fortunately, International Student Council gave us a booth that we can use for all of International week,” Fru said.

“Hearts for the Philippines” is not Fru’s first experience with fundraisers. A year ago, she and her friend Afifah Abdul Rahim, senior in animal science, set up a fundraising campaign for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

“When Hurricane Sandy happened, I tried to collect money, but I wasn’t really successful,” Rahim said. “But I was able to learn from my mistakes and help out Diane for our fundraising campaigns.”

The collected money will go to the Philippine Red Cross.

“A lot of students asked if they can donate clothes or other stuff, but we told them that shipping might be problematic at the moment, so donating money is the most effective alternative,” Rahim said.

One of the helpers, Janna Lovan, senior in kinesiology and health, said that a lot of students came up to her not even knowing what happened on the Philippines.

“I was shocked that some students don’t seem to watch the news,” Lovan said. “Especially since it kind of hit home a little for me, because I have a lot of Filipino friends whose parents don’t have a home now.”

Rahim said that taking part in the fundraising was really important to her.

“Living so far away in safety and being in a very comfortable environment, I felt like I need to help, to give something back,” Rahim said. 

So far, “Hearts for the Philippines” has raised $486 at Dance Night and Food Night. Fru said the turnout has been far above from what she expected.

“I like to set goals for myself, so I hope we’ll be able to raise $1000 total, and regarding the result of just two days now, I think it’s doable,” Fru said. 

For the fundraiser, every single dollar counts.

“Even if you’re only able to donate one dollar, that’s still significant and we appreciate it a lot,” Fru said. 

The fact that Iowa State University didn’t initiate any official fundraising event was a little bit disappointing, Fru said. 

“I wish they’d set a sign that they care for global tragedies,” Fru said. “If I needed help one day, I’d hope that there was someone out there to help me.”

Fru said that she gets a lot of praise for setting the help into motion.

“A friend called me a catalyst,” Fru said. “She explained that in chemistry, a catalyst is a molecule that makes things happen a lot faster.”

Fru said she doesn’t want to take all the credit, though.

“It’s a combined and collective effort,” Fru said. “Together as one, we can have a big impact on the world.”