THE FUNDRAISER IS OVER (March 16th). Thanks for the support everyone.

My name is Deborah. Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. The final deadline for making a donation is March 16th. I am a first year Master’s student at the University of Michigan’s School of Information. One of the many amazing opportunities at SI is the Alternative Spring Break program. During the first week of March, along with more than 100 of my classmates, I participated in ASB Chicago.

Through this program, I spent my vacation volunteering my time and skills at Adler Planetarium in Chicago. I  evaluated the usability of their recently-launched website and provided recommendations. It is exciting that this project will enable the Planetarium to better achieve its mission and goals for research and science education. Through volunteering, I gained 40 hours of valuable, real-world experience by putting into practice what I’m learning in my graduate program. This hands-on opportunity will provide further benefits toward reaching my career goals.Pictures of me, the planetarium and their website can be seen to the left of this description. Now that I've been on the trip, there is also a picture of Emily conducting our usability test and of our project team and mentor.

As a member of the ASB fund-raising team, I have set a goal to raise $2500 in order for me and three of my classmates to each volunteer for one week with various non profits and educational and government institutions in Chicago, New York and Washington D.C.

To give you an idea of our travel and lodging costs:
Lunch for one day - $10
A tank of gas - $35
A night at the hostel - $40
7 day Metrocard in NYC –$29
Megabus return ticket to Chicago –$21

Each donation makes a huge difference in being able to apply our unique skills to fulfill a need that many of these organizations might not have the resources to meet otherwise. Thank you for partnering with me to positively and intentionally impact our communities.