Judson to open a Fair Trade Shop to help fund student service trips abroad

On Friday, Nov. 20, Judson University will open Just World Goods, a fair trade store to help students fund service trips throughout the coming semesters and to support the university's global partners abroad.

Judson junior Briana Williams of Plainfield, Ill., developed the idea of an on-campus fair trade store last year, as part of an assignment for her Principles and Practices in Short-Term Missions class as a Christian Ministries major.

"I was taking a class taught with Dr. Dave Sanders and developed a passion for fair trade and wanted to see our mission trips, here at Judson, become more sustainable," Williams explains. "I called a meeting together with President Crume, Chris Lash, Lisa Jarot, Dr. Sanders and Professor Kim Budd, and the journey to creating a fair trade store on campus began."

Just World Goods will open with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 20, in Lindner Tower's first-floor lobby near the Riverside Café. The retail store will sell a variety of items ranging from coffee, tea and chocolate to jewelry, shirts, ornaments and book bags. The items will come from as far as Haiti, India and Latin America.

Williams says the values of the store include missional lifestyle, financial sustainability, global engagement, community outreach, educational opportunities, and equality. Students on the current Global Outreach Team will have the opportunity to apply for financial help based on the store's available scholarship funds.

"We decided to go with the fair trade store model to help fundraise for our mission trips because it allowed us to be able to also help our global partners year round and not just once a week when we travel over," Williams says. "It also allows students who have the desire, to go on our yearly service-learning trips."

This store model, the first of its kind on campus, has the backing of the university's administration. "We have had the idea of a fair trade store on campus for many years but lacked the time devoted to creating it," says Assistant Vice President for Student Life Lisa Jarot. "When I met Briana, saw her leadership potential and vision for the store, I knew we had a perfect opportunity to see this idea take shape. In Student Life, we love to create opportunities for students to put their talents to work in an environment where we get to come alongside and develop them through the process. This is exciting not only for Judson, but also for our Global Outreach partners around the world."

Just World Goods store will be open 3 to 8 p.m. weekdays, when regular classes are in session. It will be closed during school breaks. Product prices will range from $5 to $40.

For more information, contact Briana Williams at (708) 945-8400 or briana.williams@student.judsonu.edu.