Dartmouth students have mobilized in recent weeks to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, collecting almost $4,000 through various campus events.
Katrina Help, a newly formed campus organization, has been working to raise money and awareness for many aspects of the hurricane relief effort. The organization plans to distribute the funds that Dartmouth students raise and is working on enlisting alumni to match student contributions.
Greek organizations have also pitched in by holding events at their houses. Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity held a benefit barbecue last Saturday, and Sigma Delta sorority had a yard sale this past Saturday. The events raised $2,276 and about $560, respectively.
"It's great to have it be an immediate thing right at the beginning of the term to kick it off," Adam Patinkin '07 said. Patinkin, a brother at Tri-Kap, helped organize the barbecue and estimates that over 1,000 people attended the event.
"We weren't able to do as much advertising as we would have liked, but we had people from town stop by and give donations," Patinkin said. "It was pretty awesome."
The event raised money by selling food and wristbands, and volunteers from eight other Greek organizations helped run grills and donation tables.
Tri-Kap plans to entrust Katrina Help with donating the money to the Red Cross.
Sigma Delt's yard sale was not as well attended, but philanthropy chair Libby Hadzima '06 was satisfied with the results.
"We had no overhead costs at all, and I think the most we sold anything for was $10," she said. Most items sold for $2 or $3.
Sigma Delt members found items to sell at the yard sale when they cleaned out the house's storage room, where recent graduates had left textbooks, sets of drawers and other odds and ends. Students also donated items to the sale.
The sorority has not yet decided where to donate the money.
In addition to large events, Katrina Help has been selling wristbands and collecting donations on weekdays at Thayer Dining Hall and the Collis Center. The organization collected about $1,100 at the donation tables and $975 at this weekend's block party, according to table chair Beth Gould '08.
Katrina Help is planning several more fundraising events in the coming weeks, including a concert in front of Massachusetts Row on Friday and a t-shirt sale and an auction later this month.
While a portion of money will go directly to the Red Cross, Katrina Help is considering other local charities as well.
"We have to do some research on where the money is going to be most needed," fundraising co-chair Theresa Yang '08 said.
Yang said she has seen interest in Katrina Help from Tuck and Thayer students, as well as members of the Hanover community.
"I think it's a tremendous amount of support that we're getting," she said. "I think it's going pretty well."
