Rita Revak-Lutz spends her free time making earrings.
On Monday, the Santa Fe College nursing professor pulled about 150 pairs of earrings out of her back room for a holiday earring sale outside the food court at Santa Fe. She held the sale, which ends today, to raise money for the Santa Fe Nursing Student Association.
"I had to do something with them, and I thought it would be a great way to fund the NSA," said Revak-Lutz, who used to be the club’s faculty adviser.
It was the first time she sold earrings outside of her Etsy shop, EarBobbles, on behalf of the club, and she is selling both holiday-themed and everyday earrings. Prices range from $8 to $13 specifically to fit a student budget, Revak-Lutz said, and they will be sold today from noon until 2 p.m. in the same location.
Caroline Lewis, a 21-year-old Santa Fe nursing senior, said the club hopes to raise about $400 over the course of two days. About 40 pairs were sold Monday, but Revak-Lutz could not specify how much money was earned.
She said half of the proceeds will go to the NSA annual convention held in Orlando at the end of March. Typically, six to 10 students travel to the convention and pay $250 each to go.
"Our main goal is to send a good portion of the club to the conference this year," said Tyler Welz, a 22-year-old club member.
Despite working 24 hours a week, the Santa Fe nursing senior said he might not be able to go to the conference without the fundraising.
The remaining proceeds will go toward the student emergency fund, which is set up for nursing students who have trouble paying their housing bills and tuition.
"We have students that, while they’re in the program, run into financial difficulties," Revak-Lutz said. "As faculty, we want them to stay in the program."
Tyler Welz (left), a 22-year-old Santa Fe nursing senior, and Caroline Lewis, a 21-year-old Santa Fe nursing senior, sell earrings on Nov. 30, 2015, outside Santa Fe’s food court to fund a trip to the Nursing Student Association's annual convention in Orlando. The earring sale ends today at 2 p.m.
