The Amherst College Response to Hurricane Katrina, a group led by Erika Sams '08, has organized the school's efforts into a group of fundraisers that have already begun and will continue throughout the semester. Events include trips to the disaster area, tabling around campus, raffling off parking spaces, a car wash, meal donations, adopting a school in the affected area and many others that are still in the planning stages.
In the last few weeks, students have raised over $1,000 tabling and have sent 104 boxes of school supplies to needy areas. "[Project We've Got Your Back Pack] allowed me to see Margaret Mead's statement that 'a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world,'" said Nzingha Tyehemba '06.
The next few weeks will see even more relief efforts. "There's a wide variety of fundraisers [coming up]," said Scott Laidlaw, director of community outreach. "The efforts the students are making are tremendous."
Today and tomorrow in Valentine, students will again be tabling for donations and selling raffle tickets for two parking spots on campus: one in the faculty parking lots near the tennis courts behind Merrill Science Building and another in Alumni Lot. Both spots were donated by the campus police. According to Chief of Police John Carter, first year students will not be eligible.
Also this week, Spencer Robins '08 will place donation boxes in public buildings around campus. The boxes, which will remain on campus permanently, will allow members of the College community to make ongoing donations to charities in affected areas.
A meal donation has also been scheduled. Students can sign up to donate their meals for a day from the end of fall break through Thursday of that week. Each meal provides a $4 donation, and monetary donations will also be accepted. Students organizing this event are also asking local businesses to donate a percentage of their profits that day to relief efforts and will release a list of participating restaurants as soon as they have one compiled.
The Louisiana Cuisine banquet at Charles Drew House, originally scheduled for Oct. 15, has been tentatively rescheduled for Oct. 29.
In addition to discussing ways to raise money for relief on campus, during a relief meeting Sams highlighted the importance of directly helping affected areas. "We need to make this more personal," she said.
Trips to Louisiana and affected areas are now being planned to directly aid those in need. Amherst College Response is planning to go to Louisiana over Interterm. This will be a three-week trip sponsored by the Red Cross, and participants can go for free. Mohomed Zeidan '08E, Jason Kung '08 and Steven Miller '07 are coordinating the trip.
The group is also working to adopt a school in Mississippi that was hit particularly hard by Katrina. The Amherst community is also looking to adopt a town of about the same size as Amherst, so coordinated efforts are possible, though not certain, at this time.
Laidlaw wants students to remember that although New Orleans may be on its way to drying out, the rebuilding stages are just beginning. "I want to underscore the ongoing need; this doesn't end when the headlines go away," he said.