Students raise almost $2,000 for storm relief

The region has suffered from a barrage of natural disasters in the last few weeks. More than 600 people have been killed in the Philippines alone from floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Ketsana, which struck the Philippines in late September, and Typhoon Parma, which hit on Oct. 3 and Oct. 8 and has inflicted more than $100 million in damages to crops and property, The New York Times reported last Sunday.

Vietnam and Cambodia also suffered significant damage, and more than 1,000 people died and hundreds injured in two Indonesian earthquakes on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

The Davis International Center in Frist Campus Center held a vigil to raise awareness of the events on Oct. 2, co-sponsored by the Office of Religious Life and the International Community Employee Resource Group. Following the suggestion of Davis International Center Director Paula Chow, Nguyen spread the cause throughout campus, setting up tables in high-volume areas like Frist and the undergraduate dining halls.

Carrie Carpenter ’10, the President of the Butler College Council coordinated the donation table in Wu Dining Hall. After spending most of the summer in Vietnam for an internship and a Princeton Global Seminar, she “fell in love with Vietnam, its food, culture and people,” Carpenter explained in an e-mail, and therefore felt a need to contribute.

“Butler College Council tries to support as many causes as possible,” Carpenter noted. “So, I brought out my posse of College Council kids and set out to raise more money than others.”She added, “Competition is always good.”

Pushed by the significance of the cause and a spirit of friendly competition, 32 students came out to volunteer for the Butler table, raising a total of $550 over the two days of fundraising efforts — more than a quarter of the total sum raised by Princeton students. Pushed by the significance of the cause and the desire to outperform other groups, 32 students came out to volunteer for the Butler table, raising a total of $550 over the two days of fundraising — more than a quarter of the total sum raised.

Apart from one gift from a generous donor who gave $200, the rest of the donations came from loose change. “I think that people were very generous,” Nguyen said. “If people were not in a rush to go somewhere, they would generally stop by and read our flyers or ask questions about our cause.”

To avoid complications and to make sure funds could be transferred as quickly as possible to aid disaster relief, only cash donations were accepted. The money raised from the two-day effort will go straight to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to provide food, shelter and clothes to victims of the recent disasters.

“While it may not seem like much, $2,000 is a lot in a developing country and can go a long way,” Nguyen said. “And, as our fundraising efforts showed, small things do add up.”

Nguyen was also quick to give full credit to the volunteers. “I only got the idea rolling. I could not have done it myself,” he explained, adding that he is “very bad at asking people for money.” Nguyen also stressed the diversity of the volunteers’ backgrounds, noting that some did not have any connection to Southeast Asia.

Chow expressed her delight at the “efficient and well-organized endeavor” run by the student volunteers.

“I really commend them for being so passionate,” she said. “It was a real group effort, and once the idea came through, everyone chipped in.”

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This is not the first time Princeton students have united to raise funds for disaster relief. Chow said that this has happened at least three times in the last year alone. “Different students come up with the initiatives, but everyone responds to the effort,” she noted.