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Connecticut College senior: "It´s important to help and give back"

Sarah Grimaud ´08 at her summer internship with Habitat for Humanity in Boston

October 11, 2007

Sarah Grimaud ´08 finds it impossible to sit back when there are so many injustices in the world.

"Sheer luck determines if someone is born into a wealthy family or into a family just scraping to get by," she said. "For those who can, it´s important to help and give back."

Her strong beliefs in helping others and eliminating poverty inspired her and her freshman year roommate, Theresa Chan, to found a campus organization that raises money to target the root causes of poverty - inadequate shelter, lack of food and unemployment. C.CHANGE! benefits the people of New London by donating to the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, food pantry and job training center. By donating as little as three dollars a month, Connecticut College students have helped raise more than $5,000 to help fund these local programs since the organization was founded in 2005.

Through C.CHANGE!, Grimaud, a double major in French and Psychology-Based Human Relations, has worked closely with the New London chapter of Habitat for Humanity and grew to admire the organization´s mission of building decent, simple, affordable housing for low-income families.

"Growing up, I was blessed with a great place to live, and I wish that everyone could have that opportunity," she said.

This past summer, Grimaud gained real-world experience in non-profit work while interning for Habitat for Humanity in Boston. She had the opportunity to work one-on-one with the Boston Leadership Development officer for Habitat for Humanity International, and handled many aspects of the chapter´s day-to-day business, from daily office tasks to staff meetings to donor solicitations.

"Working in such a small office, I was exposed to a wide range of responsibilities, which allowed me to learn about all of the different aspects of working in a non-profit and to see which parts of the job I would enjoy most."

Grimaud´s experience at Habitat reinforced her desire to work for an organization that upholds her values of addressing social injustices. After graduating from Connecticut College, she hopes to continue the fight against poverty by working for a non-profit organization in the fields of development or public relations. For more information about C.CHANGE!, contact Sarah at ssgri@conncoll.edu.

- By Claire Gould

For more information contact: Amy Sullivan (860) 439-2526; amy.sullivan@conncoll.edu