Angela Hamilton – A passionate fund-raiser

When she first heard about AIDS Walk, Angela Hamilton thought the fund-raiser would be a good way to get her college friends together. She never imagined that it would become her passion or that her team would outrank almost all others by raising $20,000 in a few months.

Hamilton, a 2002 graduate of Christopher Newport University, brought together 20 fellow alumni, plus other friends, to form a team for the AIDS Walk – a 10-kilometer walk through New York's Central Park that raised about $6.5 million for AIDS service organizations in 2006.

"People were always stepping forward to help out with whatever needed doing," Hamilton said. "It made me see how passionate and capable my friends were. It was very emotional being able to come together to help eradicate a disease that affects millions of people."

The 28-year-old Brooklyn resident said it made sense to bring together classmates from the University's Department of Theater and Dance who now live all across the country.

"CNU is such a tight community," Hamilton said. "The University fosters a sense of belonging and wanting to be involved in each others' lives. My classmates and I were taught to be supportive of one another at all costs."

Hamilton volunteered about 15 to 20 hours a week from December 2005 to May 2006 recording donations, sending out weekly updates and contacting AIDS Walk organizers. She also expanded her team's fund-raising by selling clothing and organizing events, including a music and sketch comedy benefit and performances in Central Park.

Her group – Team Supersnack – raised double its goal and ranked second among "friends and family" teams for the amount of money raised and 23rd overall among the 2,100 teams participating.

"CNU people push each other and set a high bar for themselves and do great things," she said. "The expectation's there, and you want to live up to what everyone who’s gone before and your professors have done."