January 19, 2010

U.S. Student’s African AIDS Charity Is Finalist in $1 Million Facebook Contest

Notre Dame student Jeff Lakusta’s Eyes on Africa Foundation—which supports orphanages and people living with and affected by HIV—is one of 100 finalists in Facebook’s national Chase Community Giving contest, The Dallas Morning News reports. The prize is $1 million.

“We always think we’re too young to do something in this world and we don’t know how to do it,” said Lakusta, a 22-year-old from Flower Mound, Texas, who attends Notre Dame University in Indiana. “You’re not born knowing how to make a difference. We’re as ready as we’re ever going to be to make a difference in the world.”

Lakusta founded Eyes on Africa following a 2007 trip to South Africa, where he witnessed extreme poverty and the affect of HIV stigma. Eyes on Africa has already received $25,000 to assist African community-based organizations.

“We’re luckier than a huge portion of the rest of the world,” Lakusta said. “There’s a responsibility to make a difference to people who weren’t born in the same circumstance…. I can help make a small bit of difference.”

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Jeff Lakusta, Flower Mound, 2010-01-20 14:06:52
Thanks so much for checking this out! Please be sure to vote on facebook from Jan 15-22