The Fair Trade Sale is arriving at Gannon University from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Friday in Room 219 of the Waldron Campus Center. This is an annual event that is put on by the Center for Social Concerns.
Faculty and students can expect to find fair trade gifts that are from SERRV International.
According to Sara Nesbitt, special projects program assistant for the Center for Social Concerns and a graduate English student, a “fair trade” item is one that artisans in developing worlds are paid a fair and living wage for and is produced in safe and sustainable work conditions.
Laura Goble, director of the Center for Social Concerns, said that this is a way for people to know that gifts they purchase are coming from a place where the workers are treated fairly.
This year, numerous items are available to purchase for student, faculty and staff members. Those in need of Christmas gifts are encouraged to stop by because there is something for everyone at the sale.
Items include Christmas decorations for homes, dorms and apartments, toys for younger siblings or relatives, gifts for men and coffee for coffee-lovers. Students can also expect to see kitchenware, olive oil from Galilee, jewelry and delicious chocolate.
Prices range from $2-$40 and customers can pay with cash, credit card or GU Gold, according to Nesbitt.
The proceeds for the trade sale benefit Gannon’s Alternative Break Service Trip. This year, participants will travel to Haiti, Mexico, Guatemala, Detroit, L’Arche Toronto to perform community service acts. Habitat for Humanity will also venture to Connecticut and Washington, D.C., for a build project.
Customers will be helping Gannon students travel across the country and the world to help people, according to Nesbit. She said she hopes that all that attend realize the good they are doing.
“I hope that faculty, staff and students can take away the knowledge that the gifts they are purchasing will not only delight their family members, but will also make life better for the person who made it,” Nesbit said. “These are gifts that help everyone involved – and are beautiful too.”
Goble said that sometimes, Christmas can become commercialized and lose its true meaning. But these gifts are especially meaningful for the person who produced the gift, the person who is giving it and finally the person receiving it.
Vernadette Delos Santos, a junior legal studies major, said that having a Fair Trade give students the opportunity to buy items and give back to others.
“During the holiday season, people are more likely to give back and a Fair Trade Sale is one way to give back while receiving something in return,” Delos Santos said. “I hope that through the fair trade sale, the Gannon community will be more aware of what fair trade is and its importance.”
SAMMIE JANIK
