From the Archives: 'Western community pulls together to aid tsunami, local disaster victims'

[ Editor's note: At the end of the decade, Western Today is publishing articles from the past 10 years of FAST, the campus faculty/staff newsletter. This is one of those articles. Publication of FAST officially ended in the summer of 2009. It was replaced by Western Today. ]

This article first appeared in FAST on Jan. 21, 2005

Students, faculty, staff and administration at Western are working together to raise funds to assist victims of the recent Asian tsunamis as well as those closer to home beset by adversity.

Western President Karen W. Morse initiated within the University last week an organized effort by the Western community to assist those affected by the tsunami tragedy. She has authorized the University to support such efforts and to allow the University’s Business and Financial Affairs office to set up an account through which donations can be sent to the local chapter of the American Red Cross.

“As a university community, we already have a strong reputation for outreach and service to others,” Morse said. “In addition, we’ve discovered that some local Red Cross needs are going unmet.

“We will be organizing a fund drive for tsunami victims and local disaster assistance and I encourage support for this effort. Western has a long history and value of caring about others, embodying the best qualities of our university community.”

Morse said the Western campaign is not intended to supplant other local fund-raising efforts already under way but to add to those efforts.

Donations to the campaign will be directed to the Mount Baker Chapter of the American Red Cross. Seventy-five percent of each donation will be forwarded to the American Red Cross International Response Fund to provide aid to tsunami victims in Southern Asia and 25 percent will be put to use locally to assist families in the community who lose their homes to fires, floods or other disasters each year.

Tax-deductible donations to the American Red Cross disaster relief projects may be made at the University Cashier in Old Main 245. Forms are available there to complete with your contribution, and the cashiers will deposit the donation in a special account created for the relief effort. All donations will be forwarded to the Red Cross, which will send donors acknowledgements of the gifts. Donation forms also are available online at www.wwu.edu/disasterRelief/ and can be printed out and delivered with donations either in person or via mail to the University Cashier. Mail donations to: Western Washington University, University Cashier, 516 High St., MS-9004, Bellingham, WA 98225-9004. Make checks out to the American Red Cross. As part of the overall University effort, the Associated Students is organizing a number of events, in conjunction with WWU faculty and staff, including a Day of Remembrance on Jan. 26, the onemonth anniversary of the tsunamis in Asia.

Sean Baird, a senior psychology major from Golden, Colo., was appointed by the Associated Students board of directors on Jan. 12 to direct efforts of Western students in the fund drive and related events. To contact Baird, call 650-7349.

For more information, visit www.wwu.edu/disasterRelief/.