Mary's SWAB Fundraising

Shop with a Bulldog (SWAB) is a student-run non-profit at the University of Georgia. Each year we partner with elementary schools throughout Athens-Clarke County to organize an annual Event Day. On Event Day, UGA students and participating children spend a day together shopping, wrapping gifts, and enjoying fun activities. With money raised by UGA students and the Athens community, each child can spend $120 on items that they need and want. However, event day will be a little bit different this year. In an effort to prioritize the health and safety of the Athens community, each mentor will be buying items off a wishlist created by a participating child. These gifts will then be picked up by the children in a safe and socially distanced format. Our hope is for Event Day to still be a positive event where people from across the community can come together  to celebrate and learn from one another!         

             SWAB was founded by UGA students, Codie Haddon, Kaitlyn O'Keefe and Caitlyn Searles in 2009 as freshmen at the University of Georgia. In our first year, we were able to raise $10,000 and invite 46 children to shop for the holidays. In our third year, we raised over $40,000 and took 210 children shopping. In 2018, we invited over 650 children to our event and raised over $120,000. SWAB has grown substantially over the past 10 years, and we hope to continue to grow in years to come!