QU Students Collect Cards for St. Jude's

Members of the Intellectual Property Law Society at the Quinnipiac University School of Law have collected nearly 1,000 old holiday, birthday and greeting cards for a fundraiser to benefit the St. Jude's Ranch for Children in Boulder City, Nevada.

"The card collection is a way to help the broader St. Jude's organization and gives kids the chance to learn valuable skills," said Laura Pollander, a third-year law student.

St. Jude's Ranch, which helps abused, abandoned and neglected children, developed the recycled card program as a way to teach children a variety of skills while raising funds for the organization. Children will repurpose the fronts of the cards collected and attach new card backings that they have created. The unique recycled cards will then be sold.

"We wanted to organize a fundraiser that could fit into everyone's schedule, something to get a lot of interest without demanding too much time - and it's creative," said Mike Spinelli, a second-year law student.

A large portion of intellectual property law involves creation and innovation, which Pollander said she felt the program encompassed by giving the children the opportunity to create something new from something old. Many people throw away old cards or stick them in drawers, she said, but this is an opportunity to help the St. Jude's Ranch by donating unwanted items already around the house.

While this is the first year the students have organized the card collection, they hope to make it an annual fundraiser following the holiday season.