St. Edward’s University students, faculty, and staff could be found on Jan. 22 coloring fake $100 bills to raise money for the FUNDRED Project.

The project was created by Operation Paydirt, an organization created in response to the high levels of lead content in American soil. According to the Operation Paydirt Web site, 86,000 properties in New Orleans alone are estimated to have unsafe levels of lead in the soil.

The FUNDRED project emerged on the St. Edward’s campus in October 2009 when Hollis Hammonds, assistant professor of Art, invited Operation Paydirt’s founder, Mel Chin, to be the keynote speaker at the Texas Association of Schools of Art’s Art and Community Conference.

“We wanted Mel because his work is really socially conscious,” Hammond said. “He asked us to participate in this [FUNDRED Project] and we readily agreed.”

To participate in the FUNDRED Project, students draw on and color blank $100 bill templates. Every FUNDRED represents $100 in money or services that will be donated to Operation Paydirt by U.S. Congress.

Chin, along with scientists, estimated $300 million would be needed to treat the soil in New Orleans alone, Hammond said. Toxicologist/Urban Environmental expert Howard Mielke and research scientist Andrew Hunt both have extensive experience in lead contamination.

St. Edward’s FUNDRED organizers set a goal of 7,000 FUNDREDs, and have collected about 1,000 so far, Hammond said.

“It’s a community service project, an environmental project, a social project, an art project—it’s all of these things,” Hammond said.

Junior Nicole Ryder has been working to spread the word and get more people to participate in the project.

“I’ve contacted Garden District and Amy’s Ice Cream and am going to be contacting high schools and middle schools in Austin, as well as Texas universities,” Ryder said.

Ryder said students who want to participate can pick up FUNDREDs at the Scarborough-Phillips Library, Andre Hall, Student Life or the Fine Arts Building.

Senior Megan Carney said she heard about the FUNDRED Project from Hammond, saw posters around school and knew friends who were participating.

“I think it’s an interesting approach to raise money for a cause that’s not super generic,” Carney said.

Sophomore David Hernandez, heard about the event from a friend.

“It gets everyone together and drawing and having fun for a good cause,” Hernandez said.

“This is a project for all ages,” Hammond said. “It can be done in groups of friends, church groups, no drawing skill required.”

An armored truck will be making a journey across the country collecting FUNDREDs and will be on the St. Edward’s campus the first week of March. Until then, it’s a race to meet the goal of 7,000 FUNDREDs.

The TASA conference will be held April 8-10 and will explore the theme of Art and Community with a shared dialogue on green art, social activism, collaboration and community art.

The fee for students is $20; however, students who volunteer at the conference can get in for $5. Students interested in attending the conference should contact Hollis Hammonds at [email protected].

 

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