sealPurdue News
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January 28, 2002

Students donate $15,000 to Red Cross 9/11 relief

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue student leaders today (Monday, 1/28) presented a check for $15,000 to the American Red Cross for recovery assistance to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and a banner to show the university's support for relief efforts.

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The check was accepted by Sana Booker, chairman of disaster services for the Tippecanoe County chapter of the Red Cross, during a reception for the student groups that participated in the campaign. Booker will forward the donation to the national organization's Liberty Disaster Fund in Washington, D.C.

"We are completely overwhelmed by the generosity and support of the Purdue community in the wake of the tragic events of Sept. 11," Booker said. "They gave their time and their money to help others, and that is what the American Red Cross represents – those individuals willing to give of themselves during a time of need."

The student-run fund drive was announced Sept. 14 with a theme of "Reflect, Respect, Restore." Purdue Student Government President Brenda Shea, of Syracuse, N.Y., said she was pleased with the way the West Lafayette campus responded to the campaign.

"I am so proud of the student groups for coming together to raise this much money," said Shea, a senior in the School of Liberal Arts. "Everyone across the nation was devastated by these acts of terrorism, and students at Purdue needed an outlet to help in some way. By working together as a united force, we were able to contribute much more than if several groups had done separate fund-raisers."

Erin Taylor, a senior in the School of Consumer and Family Sciences from Lafayette, Ind., and president of SAVE, Students Assisting Volunteer Efforts, chaired the campaign. She said she was inspired by the cooperative spirit of the students, faculty and staff who participated.

"The results from the Purdue relief effort exemplify the compassion of the entire Purdue community," Taylor said. "Student organizations, driven by diverse missions, were able to collaborate quickly – together, we were simply able to do more."

In addition to the donation to the Liberty Disaster Fund, the student body is sending a large banner to the Manhattan chapter of the Red Cross that they hope will eventually be displayed near the World Trade Center site as a greeting to the relief workers who continue to labor there. Donated by Pyramid Sign and Design in Lafayette, the 10-by-5 foot white banner with black and gold lettering reads, "Purdue Supports Your Efforts." The back of the banner was signed by Purdue students, administrators, faculty, staff and alumni.

Writer: Sharon A. Bowker, (765) 494-9723, sbowker@purdue.edu

Sources: Brenda Shea, (765) 532-3367, bshea@purdue.edu

Erin Taylor, (765) 532-8450, etaylor7@purdue.edu

Sana Booker, (765) 494-7184, sgbooker@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

PHOTO CAPTION:
Purdue senior Erin Taylor, president of SAVE, Students Assisting Volunteer Efforts, and chair of the student-run fund drive, adds her thoughts to the back of a 10-by-5 foot banner which reads "Purdue Supports Your Efforts", today (Monday, 1/28). The banner and a check for $15,000 were presented to the American Red Cross for recovery assistance to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and support to relief workers. It is Taylor's hope that the banner will eventually be displayed near the World Trade Center site. (Purdue News Service Photo by Nick Judy.) A publication-quality photograph is available at ftp://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/shea.donations.jpeg.


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