Targum spotlight: Rutgers Craft to Cure finds creative ways to do community service

Rutgers Craft to Cure, a club that formed approximately a decade ago, aims to donate handmade crafts to organizations in the New Brunswick area.

Srinidhi Ayalasomayajula, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and president of Craft to Cure, said her interest in volunteering and desire for a creative outlet from her STEM-related coursework inspired her to join the club.

Previously, she volunteered at her Indian classical music school, high school and senior center, said Ayalasomayajula.

"I've always loved arts and crafts … I love to be creative, and I've loved volunteering, so this club was the perfect blend to … give back to the community through my passion for the arts," she said.

When she was a first-year, she interned for the club and had the opportunity to observe each executive board position and engage in some of its typical duties. Ayalasomayajula said interns are selected based on their commitment to the club, qualifications to support the role and ideas to grow the organization in the following year.

"Because you've had first-hand experience with each position, you get to choose what you want to see yourself in for the next year," she said.

Olivia Huang, a School of Arts and Sciences junior and community outreach director for the club, coordinates collaborations and determines which organizations will receive Craft to Cure's projects.

She said she frequently partners with local nursing homes and animal shelters. Depending on the location of the organization, she finalizes these partnerships over email or a phone call, Huang said.

Contributing to the club's community outreach efforts has helped her get "comfortable with reaching out to people, telling people … what our club mission is, working together with them and then successfully making a craft," she said.

Huang also organizes meetings with executive board members of other organizations to solidify event details like the time, theme, location and specificities of catering.

Tanisha Gadhavi, a Rutgers Business School junior and Craft to Cure's event coordinator, said the crafts to be donated are made during general interest meetings, and members are provided with either an in-person demonstration or written instructions over the GroupMe channel on how to create them.

"(The crafts are) tailored toward the season as well as the organization that we're donating them to," she said.

Gadhavi said she works with executive board members to decide on project ideas so they are interesting for their creators and personalized for their recipients.

Some of the club's recent projects include bracelets for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, cards for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and tissue paper flowers for Rose Mountain Care Center, a nursing home in New Brunswick.

"All of the crafts that (members) are making are being given to an organization who would really appreciate them and enjoy them," said Gadhavi.

Huang said while she communicates with the organization's representative, recipients are surprised by the projects when she drops them off. Sometimes, said Ayalasomayajula, the club gets confirmation of its projects being used in the form of a thank you card or picture.

"That's the best part of it," she said. "It is good to see that the crafts are being put to use and people do like them."

The two main events of the year, Holi-DIY and Craftea Cafe, are held at the Busch Student Center. At these events, members celebrate the end of the fall and spring semesters, respectively, and participate in craft-making from an assortment of three project options, Gadhavi said.

Though the planning of these larger events is at times strenuous, from decorating the space to ensuring that the event runs smoothly, Gadhavi said it is rewarding to see her work come together for others to enjoy.

"Craft to Cure is definitely a great organization, and I'm glad that I'm a part of it," she said. "It's really taught me a lot about giving back to different organizations or different people, even in the smallest ways."