A partnership between ASWSU and several downtown businesses called 2 Weeks of Pullman resulted in $2,129 in donations for the Cougar Health Fund to support mental health and sexual assault prevention.

From Sept. 17 to Sept. 28, nine business in Pullman and one in Moscow donated between 3 and 7 percent of their revenue to the Cougar Health Fund. Keegan Otter, ASWSU director of Community Affairs, was in charge of the event.

“The Coug Health fund is a nonprofit,” Otter said. “It provides additional mental health resources and sexual assault prevention resources.”

The businesses involved had the ability to choose how much revenue to contribute, Otter said, based on how much traction they gained due to the event.

“Students checked out shops and offices, and in return, the businesses were to invest back into a fund that is for students,” he said.

Otter said 2 Weeks of Pullman encouraged WSU students to involve themselves with the entirety of Pullman, not just the WSU campus.

“Students get to explore downtown, explore what Pullman has to offer and get their sense of home,” Otter said. “They’re going to be here for four, maybe five years. [This event] brings awareness and exposure.”

This event replaced a similar one called 30 Days of Pullman, which took place two years before. Otter said that event did not result in much involvement. Rather than donations to the school, he said, contributing businesses gave students small discounts on select items sold.

The event, which garnered support from B&L Bicycles, was scheduled to intersect with Palouse Bike Week and a WSU home football game in effort to boost sales.

“The hype of having a home football game helped,” Otter said. “Especially when it came to the dinner and bar scene.”

One of the largest contributors, he said, was Paradise Creek Brewery. The business donated over $400 to the Cougar Health Fund.

“This event tied the community and the university together,” Otter said. “The more students that show up [to the businesses], the more money that’s donated to the fund.”

Otter said because most students live on campus, it is rare for them to involve themselves in other areas of Pullman.

“WSU is built to have all of its resources on campus,” he said. “It’s really hard to get college students to come downtown and see what it has to offer.”

Otter said he hoped 2 Weeks of Pullman would expand to a full collaboration between Pullman and Moscow where several businesses from both towns would be involved.

The event was advertised to WSU students, he said. Two press releases were sent out by Megan Juran, WSU senior and director of Community Affairs PR specialist.

For the next year, Otter said he hopes to double the amount of donations made and increase the number of businesses involved.

“Now that we know how much we can raise in the first year, we know how much we can build off of for next year,” Otter said. “It was a successful event in my eyes. Look for it again this time next year.”