The Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is making a difference one campaign at a time. And now, it has the financial backing of student government to push for change.

The chapter is made up of 30 students who volunteer their time to campaigns to raise awareness of issues.

"We stand up to powerful interests," said Jarod Gregory, campus organizer for WISPIRG. "When something is happening that isn't in the best interest of the public, we try to get it changed."

In the past, WISPIRG has helped in stopping the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Cassville. They also registered 3,000 students at UWSP to vote in the 2008 election. This year, WISPIRG has raised $265 toward a $2,000 goal for its Hunger and Homelessness campaign, and turned the "Make it End in 2010" campaign, which started on the UWSP and UW-Madison campuses to encourage Sen. Russ Feingold and President Barack Obama to be leaders on global warming solutions, into a national campaign.

The UWSP chapter of WISPIRG has been running for five years, said Gregory, but this is the first year it has received full funding. The group originally started with temporary funding, but eventually gained enough student support to receive full funding approval from the Student Government Association at UWSP.

The funding allows the group to contract a staff member to provide guidance for how the organization can make a difference. Gregory is the current adviser for the organization, and oversees the campaigns that WISPIRG members organize.

The UWSP chapter will be running several campaigns this year on issues including hunger and homelessness, clean water, climate change and public transit.

Matthew Guidry, treasurer of the UWSP chapter, has been with the group for three years and said it educates students on how to make social change.

"(WISPIRG) opened up the political world," said Guidry, a senior. "It made me realize that I have a voice and that I can make a difference."

WISPIRG holds weekly chapter meetings at 7 p.m. Mondays in the Dreyfus University Center, outside Room 70E in the student involvement complex. Those interested are invited to attend.