Lending a 'Helping Hand' while bridging the divide

CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error, the original version of this story said Tri Sigma partnered with the UNC Chapter of The Helping Hand Project. Tri Sigma did not partner with the organization, but Tri Delta did. The article has been updated to reflect this change. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

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Interested in having a good night with food and music while supporting an even better cause? Then join the UNC Chapter of The Helping Hand Project this Friday, Sept. 29 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Forest Theater.

This event features the bands, Shakedown Street and Left on Franklin, along with a variety of food trucks, games and a raffle. 

The presale $5 ticket or $7 day-of ticket doubles as your raffle ticket. The grand prize is a UNC basketball signed by the 2017 championship team.

The Helping Hand Project is a nonprofit organization that aims to provide children with recreational prosthetic hands using 3-D printers. This project was started by former UNC student Jeff Powell with a motto of “Lend One to Give One.”

The prosthetic hands given to children are made 100 percent free of charge to families by student volunteers through the biomedical engineering program at UNC, as well as other schools such as University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina State University and Durham Technical Community College.

Kyle Wallace, a member of the executive board planning the event, said these students have collaborated and provided over 30 children with hands in over 10 states. These children also get new hands as their anatomy changes, and they continue to grow.

This benefit concert targets people from all walks of life. 

“No matter who you are, were going to have something here for you,” said Meredith Freeland, who is in charge of marketing operations for the UNC chapter. 

With a little bit of the benefit geared toward every type of person, this is one community event to make sure you don’t miss.

Annabelle Dulin, another executive board member, said that a big part of the concert is to bridge the gap between different groups on campus, especially between Greek and non-Greek life.

Four UNC Greek organizations, Phi Mu, Tri Delta, Chi Phi and Beta Theta Pi, are also partnering with the UNC chapter to offer support towards the cause and to help with the benefit concert.

The philanthropy chair for Beta Theta Pi, Marshall Ranson, furthered the conversation on bridging the divide.

“Plenty of fraternities have events in their backyard to support the cause they are passionate about, but I think it is also important for Greek to join an on-campus group with a great cause,” Ranson said.

This is the fourth annual benefit concert, and Wallace is hoping for the biggest turn out yet. The money raised Friday night will go to helping the organization as a whole, not just the UNC chapter.

The club is looking for more passionate students to join their organization — from the technical side to fundraising, all students with a passion are welcome.

Freeland even praised Powell's passion toward the cause. 

“We were sitting outside of SweetFrog in 90-degree heat, and he was pouring sweat, but sat and talked to me for two and a half hours because he has so much passion," Freeland said. "He loves these kids so much — he believes in this cause.”

This event hopes to raise money and awareness for the children that desperately need free prosthetic hands. This opportunity gives an entire community a reason to put aside their differences and support a great cause together.

“It’s a much larger community than us just giving a child a prosthetic hand,” Freeland said.

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