Gulf Coast Relief

1.1 Million Volunteers

Have responded, but more are needed

More than 1.1 million Americans have volunteered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, giving vital help to millions of Gulf Coast residents, and more volunteers continue to be needed to sustain the long haul rebuilding effort, said top federal officials at a ribbon cutting for a volunteer camp outside New Orleans today.

Gulf Coast Relief Efforts

From fundraisers to counseling...

ICC member campuses have been generous and creative in providing relief for victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes. A number of campuses have organized fall and winter break trips to join the relief effort in person. Other campuses have raised funds, collected supplies, and had blood drives. Yet other campuses have opened their doors to displaced students and provided grief counseling.

Send your stories to Liza Newman at [email protected]

From The Front:

- Mark Siemers, IU Bloomington. Everyone experienced a bit of shock and awe when first seeing the wreckage that the coastline had become. That is to be expected. What I didn't expect was the incredible response that everyone had to this devastating situation: dedication to doing everything we could for the affected people while we were down there.

The volunteers that went on the trip were different politically, religiously, socially, racially, academically, and in almost every other way you can think of. Somehow everyone got along (for the most part), and worked together very well. People who would normally give each other dirty looks on campus became friends on this trip; the focus on the greater good allowed people to set aside certain differences and connect on some level.

I saw the different subgroups develop, each with their own personality. Some were quiet and reserved, focused on the task at hand. Others were more outgoing, goofy even, creating cheers, joking and laughing. Each group had their own way of dealing with the distressing situation, and they all worked very well together. I was impressed to see how cohesive each group became after such a short time. I wasn't even in a group, and I made a lot of great friends. There was something about the mood and attitudes of everyone that was very conducive to making friends. Everyone let their shields down, and put themselves out there a little more than you usually would in front of strangers.

What I learned on this trip will help me in my professional career, as well as in my personal life. I will never forget my responsibility to help my community and my country. Most importantly, I will remember that the best thing you can do for a person is give them the chance to do something great...it is likely that they will exceed your expectations. View photos from the trip

Resources

Beyond Katrina

The voices of hurricane & disaster recovery

Universities Rebuilding America Partnership

A Toolkit for Organizing Group Service Trips to the Gulf Coast to Help Communities Recover From the Hurricanes of 2005

Hurricane Relief Manual

Service Learning and American Humanics students at William Jewell College created a Hurricane Relief Manual after a recent trip to New Orleans over Fall Break.

Hurricane Relief Service Trip Resources

Claire King, Director COPSL Indiana University, Bloomington organized a very successful Hurricane Relief Winter Break Service Trip to Biloxi, MS. Claire has generously shared her pre-trip planning resources with us.

Organizations Providing Hurricane Relief

Find direct links to the Red Cross, America's Second Harvest, Habitat for Humanity, Feed The Children, and more.