Unable to host bake sales or other in-person fundraisers, Latinos Unidos and Spectrum have both created merchandise to raise money for charity.

Members of Latinos Unidos plan to sell their merchandise in mid-January and donate all funds to Every Last One, an organization dedicated to providing resources for immigrant families.

According to club president Veronica Godina, the club will be selling shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants through CustomInk. All of the designs were created by club members and incorporate the monarch butterfly, a symbol used for decades to demonstrate support for immigration. 

“It symbolizes the journey that all those at the border have gone through and their hope to reach the U.S,” Veronica said,“both migrate to survive.” 

Like past years, Spectrum raised money for the Howard Brown Center, an organization that provides members of the LGBTQ+ community with HIV testing and counseling, financial counseling and other health-related services. 

According to Manou Chakravorty, Spectrum Public Liaison and Social Media Manager, club members sold sweatshirts, hoodies, T-shirts and magnets with 11 different design options created by members of the club. The fundraiser ran  Dec. 14 to Jan. 4 through an online platform Threadless.

Itzel Rojas, also club co-president, said members of Spectrum tried to create designs that appealed to an array of different people, not necessarily just those that identify as LGBTQ+.

“Some were catered to those specifically who are out and proud, who are like ‘yeah, I’m gay’ or ‘I’m bi’ or ‘I’m part of the LGBT community,’” Itzel said, “but we also wanted some that were a little more on the down-low side.” 

Veronica says raising money for organizations like Every Last One is particularly meaningful to members of Latinos Unidos, a sentiment echoed by members of Spectrum when discussing the Howard Brown Center. 

In the past couple of years, Latinos Unidos has been hosting workshops, speaker events and open forums discussing immigration. According to Veronica, this pre-existing focus on immigration fueled the decision to fundraise for Every Last One. 

“For a lot of members of Latinos Unidos, immigration is a very personal issue, so there is a lot of meaning behind the designs we are creating,” Veronica said. “We just hope that others in the school community will help support too.”

This story was updated on Jan. 24. The original story incorrectly stated Manou Chakravorty was Spectrum co-president, but she is the public liaison and social media manager for Spectrum.