U of A club Project Red supports the Red Cross on campus
"The most satisfying part of our club is that we are actually making a difference," Project Red co-president says.
Supplied Project Red is a University of Alberta student club supporting the Red Cross, an international humanitarian aid organization. Founded in September 2023, Project Red seeks to educate students on local and global humanitarian issues and provide them with volunteer opportunities.
Co-Presidents and founders Diya Vyas, Dev Patel, and Ranvir Minhas started the club to bring university students’ attention to humanitarian issues, such as rising opioid overdoses in Canada. They became familiar with the Red Cross through research on organizations providing aid for the opioid crisis.
“As university students, we are often so caught up with our day-to-day lives that we don’t really know what’s happening around the world,” Vyas said. “I think it’s important for students to know what the Red Cross does.”
Education is a key focus of Project Red, Minhas said. The club recently conducted an opioid awareness seminar. Students heard from a paramedic and were taught how to use naloxone kits, which are used to intervene in opioid overdoses. Project Red also provides free naloxone kits to U of A students, Vyas said.
“We want to prepare people so they can take action right away,” Minhas said.
The club recently hosted a basketball tournament with T1D Let’s Talk, a student group that partners with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Canada (JDRF). The event raised $1,000 for charity. Additionally, Project Red held a letter-writing event to show support for Red Cross volunteers.
Bringing a university student audience to Red Cross aid
For Minhas, it is important that people know that the Red Cross is not only a global organization, but has a strong local presence as well. The Red Cross provides aid for local fires and lends medical equipment to those who cannot afford it, Minhas explained.
“You wouldn’t assume the Red Cross is playing that big of a role right here our own community, but the Red Cross is very engaged in these local issues,” Minhas said.
“The Red Cross are there for even the smallest causes locally, they’re not just a global organization,” Patel added. “We are an unbiased non-profit.”
As university students themselves, Project Red’s presidents emphasized the difficulty of finding time to volunteer. They seek to make volunteering opportunities more accessible to U of A students by hosting on-campus events.
“Having that presence on campus makes it easier for students to become involved and have their needs accommodated,” Patel said.
Future plans for Project Red include connecting with more organizations and hosting more educational events.
“There’s a lot of passion for community service, and so many people are interested. The most satisfying part of our club is that we are actually making a difference,” Patel said.
“It is so rewarding to see how many people are actually passionate about what the Red Cross does,” Vyas added.
