Effort Underway to Bring Hope to Tsunami Victims
By Kelly Jones, '05
A 10-member "A Tide of Hope" team, led by Campus Minister Sam Carothers, has begun a two-phase plan to coordinate both Meredith's immediate and long-range relief efforts for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami.
Meredith's immediate efforts, referred to as Phase I, have set a goal to support Save the Children, an international, four-star charity founded in 1932. All of the funds from Phase I will go to Save the Children.
Save the Children is dedicated to helping some of this disaster's most innocent and powerless victims, currently aiming to help children and families in Indonesia and the coastal areas of India and Sri Lanka. Among Save the Children's top priorities are to provide shelter and other protection services, reuniting children with family members and organizing activities to help restore a sense of normalcy.
At this point, $2,805 has been raised for Phase I. Donations for Phase I should go to Carothers's office in Jones Chapel. Checks can be made payable to Save the Children. The checks will be mailed to the organization and the donors will receive a charitable gift confirmation for tax purposes. Groups who have fundraisers can also bring cash to Carothers and the donations will be deposited into a special account. As the funds build, checks will be issued from the College to Save the Children.
"Everyone knows that this is a reach, but there is a sense that Meredith must respond to this disaster and I am hearing of more and more fundraising events being planned by students," said Carothers.
The committee also wants to work toward a more focused and individualized response called Phase II. Phase II will seek to support relief efforts in Sri Lanka concerning more specific needs. Approximately $300 has been raised for Phase II. Checks for this phase should be made payable to Meredith College.
"It is important that campus groups or individuals be clear as to whether they are giving funds for Phase I or Phase II as these are separate college accounts for different relief initiatives," adds Carothers.
