Ag gymnast now fighting poverty
Reaching for new heights, Katie Rutherford, a gymnast of USU from 2001-05, is now pushing above and beyond her typical routines.
A year after graduating from USU, Rutherford started a non-profit organization called Dollars for Change. She spoke about it Monday in the TSC Ballroom.
Having graduated with a degree in anthropology, Rutherford said she is setting a new goal to reach out to millions.
She said she was highly involved with Sack Board, a community based service club for athletes. While doing that, she helped the USU gymnastics team start fundraising for children’s education in Africa.
“When I realized what a difference our proceeds made in a child’s life, it made me want to do one thing: more,” Rutherford said.
She quit her job in government banking and began to focus on developing her own nonprofit organization.
“I really didn’t have much,” she said. “It took a while to become tax-exempt and go through all of the requirements, but it has proven to be well worth it.”
After spending three months fundraising, Rutherford took her first trip to begin her routine in Africa. By spending more than five months building schools and helping with irrigation and education, she said she realized her potential to make a difference the children’s life she was serving.
“All I wanted was to do more,” she said. “When I saw what a difference my efforts had made, I began to research what I could while I was in Africa, when I came across a life changing statistic. America’s population in the year 2007 reached above three million. If I could get at least one dollar from every American family or student, funding for schools and projects in Africa would be possible.”
This is how Rutherford’s organization Dollars for Change came about. With little grant money by her side, she began fundraising for her next trip to Africa.
As she flew across the nation, she has visited to share her stories to inspire students, communities and families to support her next goal. Her photos speak of the lives that she’s changed, telling the story of opportunities and gratefulness the children have.
“It’s hard to imagine what one dollar can actually do, but it’s more powerful than people realize,” Rutherford said. “So far I have raised enough to be supported by the local organizations in Africa to build one school through Dollars for Change.”
She said all the donations are ensured to go directly towards the cause. This prevents money from being pulled for anything other than the schools. Lindsey Boone, sophomore on the gymnastics team majoring in business, said she looks up to Rutherford, hoping more athletes and people come together to donate for the cause.
Any students that want to become involved or donate can reach Rutherford at the the following address: Dollars For Change P.O. Box 11525 Portland, ME 04104. Her e-mail is kaite@dollarsforchange.org.
–c.child@aggiemail.usu.edu