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ALBANY, GA. -- Some local college students are learning how knowledge from the classroom can benefit the hopeless on the streets. Members of the Albany State University History and Political Science Club said today’s donation to a ‘Place For Hope’ is the most important event in the club’s history. They’re also hoping all the talk about spending cuts in Washington won’t make ‘A Place For Hope’ itself part of Albany’s past history.

"We get especially excited when our students at our colleges and universities participate and heighten the awareness of the homelessness in our community," said Becky Boyd on behalf of 'A Place 4 Hope.'.

Boyd says ‘A Place 4 Hope’ is always grateful for donations but she and Captain Doug McClure of the Salvation Army believe there’s something special about the $200 contribution from the Albany State University History and Political Science Club.

"They took who they were, they took their own natural inclinations," said McClure. "They want to help people. They want to be who they are and they’re making a difference in people’s lives."

‘A Place 4 Hope’ provides services like laundry facilities and internet access to the homeless in an effort to get them back on their feet and back on a payroll.

Araba Kwofie and Asjah Miller are two of the students who sold pink ribbons to help raise funds for the donation. "Some people didn’t even accept the ribbon," said Miller. "They just wanted to give a donation and some people ranged from the actual 50 cents to $20 just when we told them what we were doing it for." 

That $200 donation is enough to operate ‘A Place 4 Hope’ for one week. But officials say it will take much more than that if a proposal to cut 25% from social services is enacted in the 2011 federal budget.

"There’s a lot of charities out there, a lot of wonderful organizations doing the exact same thing and it really could actually hurt and actually start causing cutbacks in some of the services we provide now," said McClure.

"It will hurt," added Boyd. "It will hurt the Salvation Army. It will hurt everyone who provides services to those who live in poverty."

To prevent that, ASU Students and ‘A Place 4 Hope’ are already working together on a grassroots lobbying campaign.

McClure also told us that ‘A Place 4 Hope’ has already had its first success story: A man who came to the program now has a job and a place of his own.