Quietness has been sorely lacking from State College in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State, and yet as the first quiet evening after a week full of noisy ones is finally behind us, a self-described “grassroots network of proud Penn State alumni who are embarrassed and shocked by the recent events at Penn State,” is starting to make a lot of noise on social media. Thanks to #ProudPSUforRAINN, the healing process might finally be beginning for a bruised Penn State community.

Jerry Needle is a 1986 graduate of Penn State, and he, along with his wife Jamie, and Bob Troia and Larena Lettow, 1998 and 1995 graduates, respectively, have started Proud to Be a Penn Stater, an organization with a mission to begin the process by helping victims just like the ones allegedly affected by Jerry Sandusky. They’re working to accomplish that by teaming with RAINN–the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network–a leading anti-sexual violence organization to raise funds for victims of sexual abuse.

Many have asked how they can show their support victims of abuse and sexually-related crimes, and this is the perfect place to start. The Needles and company have a very difficult yet simple goal in mind: One dollar raised for every Penn State alumnus–a number they set as 557,000–for an overall goal of raising $500,000 for RAINN.

As of midnight Friday morning, the movement has already garnered $53,564 according to their website, and it’s been quickly picking up steam under the twitter hashtag #ProudPSUforRAINN.

Jerry was not able to be reached for comment before this article went to post, but Jerry made a simple appeal to the folks over at Black Shoe Diaries, saying:

“After having so closely identified with all things Penn State over the past 15 years, the recent events have shaken my beliefs – and those of other alumni – to the core. Simply put, Penn State is way bigger than the alleged actions of a few people. Will you join me in showing the world what being a proud supporter of Penn State really means by making a donation to RAINN and by adding your name to mine below?”
– Jerry Needel, Penn State ’98

While the movement is not associated in anyway with Penn State University at this time, it is not exclusive to just alumni. Students looking for a way to show their support for the victims in this case now have an easily accessible cause to get behind, support, and help in any way possible.

Penn State is known for nationwide for its philanthropy, and in a time where everyone is looking for a positive outlet to help, there is no better time than now to be Penn State Proud.