Written by Elizabeth C Johnson
Christine Clemons, a 1-year-old child from Searcy in need of a costly lung transplant, received nearly $30,000 thanks in part to Harding University students and friends who raised money in the “Texas vs. The World” competition this semester.
“Texas vs. The World” is a competition between students from the Lone Star State and students from everywhere else. The group that raises the most money for a certain cause wins the contest.
During the summer, a close friend to the Clemons family started raising money for Christine with a box in front of their small business’ cash register. That box led to a meeting with several Harding student leaders, includingStudent Association President Bryan Clifton, about how they could get the student body involved in helping the Clemons family.
“They told me about the need, and then we started to work on how we, as students, could help,” Clifton said.
The decision of the SA to do another “Texas vs. The World” competition was thought to be a great idea because it had worked so well in the past, Clifton said. However, they had no idea how much the student body would surprise them and the Searcy community this time.
The first priority was to make T-shirts — a college student’s kryptonite. T-shirts were not just sold to Harding students but also across the country. Anthony Ross, a student from Kent State, purchased a T-shirt through a friend at Harding.
“I believe what the student body at Harding University was doing was something amazing for a small family in need,” Ross said.
More than 1,100 people bought T-shirts, and it is difficult to walk around Harding’s campus without seeing someone wearing a “Texas vs. The World” T-shirt.The funds Harding raised have helped the Clemons family as they await Christine’s surgery.
“I learned just how much the student body is willing to give and support a family that is in need,” Clifton said. “There are no limits to what we can do when we pull all of our resources together.”
The money was put into Christine’s account that will be for her to use throughout her lifetime.Christine is a happy child and plays and laughs with all the other children. The lung transplant will help her to continue those laughs and joys of life.
Clifton said Texas won the competition over The World by $7,000.
