In a coordinated effort to provide relief funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, various Sonoma State University organizations have raised a grand total of $18,305.08 through donations, prize giveaways, car washes and benefit dinners, among others, to be donated to the American Red Cross.
SSU service organization JUMP (Join Us in Making Progress) spearheaded the donation drive, organizing the campus-wide "Donate Your $2" campaign. Presuming each person on the Sonoma State campus, including students, faculty and staff donated $2, JUMP projected that they could easily raise up to $5,000. By the end of the campaign they had not only met their mark, but also surpassed it by more than $700, collecting a total of $5,739.
Other SSU organizations pitched in with donations, including many SSU sororities and fraterities. Also involved were the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and the Pan-Hellenic Council. In total these organizations raised a combined $4,039.
Various freshmen seminar classes organized charitable events of their own and collected funds through car washes, bake sales, clothing and money and drives and a raffle. Their collective efforts resulted in a grand total of $1,790.
On September 29, the SSU Sociology Club and the SSU Human Rights Club sponsored a dinner at Chevy's Fresh Mex Mexican Restaurant in Santa Rosa. Chevy's donated 20% of each SSU patron's bill, resulting in $337.08 donated to hurricane relief.
Sonoma State Dining Services and Seawolf Shops also assisted in the donation effort. Through their own donation drive, which allowed customers to add a dollar to their total bill to go towards hurricane relief, over $3,200 was collected. Before going the American Red Cross, this donation will be doubled by the Sallie Mae Fund of Reston, Virginia, resulting in a grand total of $6,400 going towards the Katrina fund.
In addition to SSU fundraising efforts, the Santa Rosa community also assisted in collecting funds for relief. The Santa Rosa Symphony and the Sonoma County Bach Choir held a benefit concert September 12 featuring Santa Rosa Symphony conductor Jeffrey Kahane and Sonoma State choral director Robert Worth. In total, the benefit concert raised $60,785.08. Half the money will go to the American Red Cross, with the other half going to the American Symphony Orchestra League's Gulf Coast Orchestra Relief Fund.
For more information about Katrina fundraising efforts at SSU, please contact Jean Wasp, Media Relations Coordinator, at (707) 664-2057 or by e-mail at jean.wasp@sonoma.edu.
ABOVE: Art student Matt Mullins spent 24 hours in a glass case in the Art Department making pottery as a fundraiser for hurricane victims. He raised more than $300.
