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Bay Path students help organize relief effort

Meghan Hanley with just a portion of the final batch of care packages sent to the Gulf. Reminder submitted photo
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, 25 Bay Path College students gathered with Vice President for Planning and Student Development Carin Hobin to address the need for responding to the disaster. The student leaders formed the Bay Path Disaster Relief Committee, chaired by senior psychology major Meghan Hanley with a board of four: Phyllis Harris, Kelly Broderick, and Rachel Hewat. With advice from Bay Path students with family members in the affected Gulf areas, the committee sent an e-mail to the entire Bay Path community listing needed items, and set a goal of collecting the items as well as financial donations.

Using the college Intranet, the committee gave frequent updates and reminders to encourage donations. Members of the faculty and staff joined students to donate money, clothing, shoes, food, toiletries, diapers, cookware, candles, toys, stuffed animals and school supplies.

"Apparently through word of mouth from our students, some members of the local community even drove to campus and dropped off cartons of donations in front of Blake Student Commons," according to Hanley. After Hurricane Rita hit the same devastated areas, the committee members recognized the need to increase and lengthen the collection to a month-long effort.

Monetary donations collected totaled $450, $100 of which was used to purchase school supplies such as notebooks, paper, pens, and pencils. The remainder is earmarked for the Red Cross and is being matched dollar for dollar by Dan Roulier Associates, owned by Daniel Roulier, a friend of the college whose wife is a Bay Path alumna. His business will contribute up to $25,000 to match donations raised by local non-profits and for-profit businesses and organizations.

The first batch of Bay Path boxed donations, totaling 160 pounds, contained school supplies and was sent in early September to Nachitoches, Louisiana, home of a student's family members who said the need was great.

The second batch toward the end of September, totaling 804 pounds and containing a variety of items, and sent to Jackson, Mississippi, home to another student's family members to be distributed where most needed.

In early October, the committee sent the last shipment of items to the Gulf area, totaling 713 pounds and bringing the overall total to

1,677 pounds.

"We started this committee because the visions on the television screen shocked us," Hanley said. "We needed to help in any way we could. I had no idea this cause would explode the way that it has. I thank everyone who donated and gave of their time. There are no words to express the good we have done."