Students fund Haitian relief

Following the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, various student organizations on campus have held events to raise funds for the relief effort.

From selling quesadillas outside the Catholic Center to raising money for the Red Cross, Tulane students were quick to respond to the Haitian cries for help.

Students in Hillel work to make challah, which will be sold across campus.

Tulane Hillel is sponsoring a campus-wide fundraiser called Challah for Haiti, led by sophomore Miriam Ragen and Hillel Co-Associate Director Corey Smith. Along with a team of volunteers, they baked loaves of challah, traditional Jewish braided bread, to sell on campus Thursday and Friday. Sodexo Dining Services provided all supplies, and proceeds will go to InterAction.org for its disaster relief efforts in Haiti.

Challah for Haiti is an expansion of the already existing Hillel program, Challah for Hunger, which raises awareness and funds for hunger-related charities. It plans to expand into the community to try to sell more loaves, and with the community’s involvement, hopes to raise $5,000.

“Living in New Orleans since Katrina, I think we’re more sensitive to the way that natural disasters can hurt a city,” Ragen said. “Just like people reached out to help New Orleans, it’s our responsibility to reach out to help Haiti.”

A group of public health students sold quesadillas nicknamed “Caus-a-dillas” on the Catholic Center lawn Sunday night for $1 each to raise money for the Haitian Association for Human Development and for Tulane/LSU physician Charles Rene’s Haitian clinic still in operation.

They raised $270 in two-and-a-half hours. The Catholic Center volunteered its lawn and kitchen, and the School of Public Health covered the cost of the ingredients.

After the earthquake hit, a group of public health students got together to organize fundraisers for Haiti.

“We talked about what we could do to help the situation, and out of that came the Facebook group,”said Daniel Waren, vice president of public health student government.

The group, called “Tulane Students Supporting Haiti,” now has 238 members as of Wednesday. In addition to future “Cause-a-dilla” sales, they plan to make awareness pins through Undergraduate Student Government and to organize other fundraising efforts.

Tulane’s American Red Cross Club set up a table outside the Lavin-Bernick Center Monday to raise awareness for the Red Cross texting campaign. Participants can give a one-time $10 donation to Haitian relief by texting “Haiti” to 9099. They raised more than $200. Red Cross Club President Drew Levinson will meet with the Southeast Louisiana chapter of the Red Cross later this week to discuss the possibility of a drive to collect canned foods and clothing. This is the first year the club has started running since Katrina.

The Tulane Center for Public Service is also organizing a fundraiser geared more toward faculty and staff. It will visit university administrative and academic departments to gain support for Stand with Haiti, the official donation campaign of Partners in Health. It will also set up donation containers to reach the goal of raising $1,000 for Partner in Health’s efforts to bring medical care to Haiti.

“We chose Partners in Health because they have been on the ground for more than 20 years and they’re providing much needed support and service,” Executive Director Vincent Ilustre said.
Students have initiated many of Tulane’s projects for Haitian relief.

“The University plans to utilize its expertise in what is commonly known as the second wave of disaster response,” said Rebecca Conwell, chief of staff to the office of the president. “There will be need for assistance in such areas as developing infrastructure, clean water and mental health counseling.”