Sonoma State graduate and four-year volleyball player Taylor Manton will be travel to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to partake in the “Haiti Orphan Project” at the end of this month. Manton, who will attend USC medical school in the fall, has also enlisted the help of Sonoma State’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to help raise money and supplies for the effort.

Jennifer Russo, president of SAAC and current women’s basketball player and vice-president Lindsay Brown, who played volleyball with Manton have been spearheading the group’s involvement in the Haiti project. “As student-athletes at Sonoma State, we take pride in reaching out to our community, but we also want to take pride in caring for people worldwide,” Russo said in a previous statement. “I think it is an awesome thing that Taylor is doing and we’re doing everything we can do to help her.”    

The International Service Learning program is an organization that sends young people to places all over the world to assist in medical relief efforts. “This is something that I have always wanted to do,” Manton said, “And when the earthquake happened in Haiti, I knew I wanted to be there to help.” She also mentioned that she plans on using her medical degree to travel worldwide and help with various humanitarian efforts.

A former member of SAAC, Manton helped launch the groups “Bubbles for Troubles” initiative to encourage people to donate small toiletry items to help under privileged families with basic hygienic needs.

With the basis of the “Bubbles for Troubles” to help provide soap and shampoo for the Haitian refugees, the SAAC has also turned its focus on gathering basic medical supplies. The lack of medical resources is a huge problem in the earthquake torn country estimated to have affected 3 million people. The committee will also be collecting anti-inflammatory, anti-acid, anti-histamine and anti-allergy medications to be hand delivered by Manton upon arrival.

Manton’s nine-day trip will start March 27 and she is looking for donations to help cover her travel expenses, which will cost $2,500. “One of the best things about it is people want to contribute, but you don’t always know where you’re contributions are going,” she said. “This way it’s going to sponsor me who’s going directly over there to provide care for these children.”

She also mentioned donations can be used as a tax write off. For more information on how to contribute to Manton’s trip or to SAAC’s “Bubbles for Troubles” project visit www.myspace.com/donate_haitiorphanproject.