September 01, 2005
TJSL Students Rally to Aid Hurricane Victims
Demonstrating that they will be lawyers with heart, the TJSL community recently rose over $1500 dollars to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They raised $550 in a raffle fundraiser, with 100% of the profits donated to the Salvation Army. The donated items that were raffled included gift certificates to restaurants, tickets to the Old Town Theater, a portable DVD player, a wine rack, and much more. La Fiesta, one of the Gaslamp District’s popular night spots, in conjunction with the raffle, offered drink and appetizer specials on Friday, September 16th. They donated 15 percent of the evening’s proceeds—a whopping $1,000-- to Katrina relief. “This shows that our small TJSL community can make a difference and organize a united front to help those in need,” said SBA president Joshua Tucker.
The students began rallying with an impressive unified assistance campaign soon after the news of the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina was broadcast. Several student organizations are taking the lead and so far have organized food, clothing, toy and personal item collections on the 800-student campus, have set up a fundraising program, and have launched a victim placement and support effort. Boxes of items have already been shipped to Louisiana with more on the way.
Some of the law school’s students and staff are from the hurricane-affected states or have family members and friends who live in the region. One student waited anxiously for several days to hear whether her family members in Mississippi had survived. Fortunately, they did, but their homes were severely damaged.
Recognizing that thousands of hurricane victims have lost everything they own, the student organizations are asking their fellow classmates, the staff and faculty of Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and the local community to help out in as many ways as possible. The participating student organizations, which so far include the Student Bar Association, La Raza, the Black Law Students Society, the Environmental Law Society, the National Lawyers Guild, Outlaw, and the Jefferson Law Republicans, also have elected to donate a substantial portion of their operating budgets to the campus fundraising program rather than spend the monies on planned social events.
The student groups are notifying the Thomas Jefferson community about the Hurricane Katrina assistance campaign with email announcements, flyers, and posters with this message: “Those affected by Hurricane Katrina are currently unable to help themselves. Their concerns focus on survival and acquiring the bare necessities. We are asking for money, food, blood, clothing, basic personal items, and toys. We are seeking anything that may be used to help put the victims of Hurricane Katrina back on their feet.”
Monetary donations collected will go to the American Red Cross.
Here is a list of phone numbers set up solely for cash donations and/or volunteers.
Donate cash to:
American Red Cross
1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English,
1-800-257-7575 Spanish;
Operation Blessing
1-800-436-6348
America’s Second Harvest
1-800-344-8070
Donate Cash to and Volunteer with:
Adventist Community Services
1-800-381-7171
Catholic Charities, USA
1-800-919-9338
Christian Disaster Response
941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
1-800-848-5818
Church World Service
1-800-297-1516
Convoy of Hope
417-823-8998
Corporation for National and Community Service Disaster Relief Fund
(202) 606-6718
Lutheran Disaster Response
800-638-3522
Mennonite Disaster Service
717-859-2210
Nazarene Disaster Response
888-256-5886
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
800-872-3283
Salvation Army
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
Southern Baptist Convention -- Disaster Relief
1-800-462-8657, ext. 6440
United Methodist Committee on Relief
1-800-554-8583
For further information: visit the website for the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD).
This list of organizations is provided by the National Organization of Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster. Please email EST-DONATA@dhs.gov if you are interested in having your organization added to the list.