Tsunami Relief Efforts
Dear IR/PS Community,
A school dedicated to the Pacific has an obligation to respond to the disaster that has unfolded. I met with our student leaders and staff to craft a plan. There are many possibilities but we agreed that our response should both be prompt and long-term.
We have the option for giving to the Tsunami relief efforts to several organizations for several reasons, most especially because of committed matching funds. The list reflects ties by members of our community to organizations doing distinguished relief work. For example, based on his established relationship with the local Red Cross, PIASO President Jeremy Long would like to encourage your donations made out to the International Red Cross in support of the disaster relief in Asia. We want to target Red Cross' assistance to education for orphans. As many of you know, Michele Peters-Coville sponsors children in Sri Lanka and is now working with a local group that is dealing directly with the University of Colombo in building a new orphanage there. Similarly, Karla McGrath's spouse, Joe McGrath, from the class of 2000, teaches in Jakarta and both are involved there in relief efforts. There are many other examples and we would like to support these commitments. Four organizations are listed below as specific examples for your donations. We shall ensure that any check made out to a tsunami relief sponsor will be mailed to its headquarters - be sure and take advantage of the 2004 tax deduction extension through Jan. 31.
Building on this model of personal involvement, we are reaching out through students, alumni, faculty and community friends to establish direct relationships with support for orphans in India and Thailand along with Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Through the IR/PS Nonprofit Management career track, we will strive to support programs and sponsor summer interns in these countries beginning this summer and for many years to come.
Under PIASO's leadership, the students have made numerous calls to all the local organizations and to date are working on implementing a "hands on" project with the United Church of Christ. These local organizations are now well aware of our willingness to serve and we will stay in touch as further relief volunteer activities develop and evolve in the community.
Specifically, Reaches Out is holding a fundraiser this week on Library Walk, through Friday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to raise monies for school kits (paper, pencils, eraser, etc.) to be mailed to the affected areas. PIASO will provide these details as soon as possible to the UCSD community at large. I encourage IR/PS students to volunteer and help this next week's efforts bring the best possible results.
We will also keep you posted on IR/PS staff and faculty fundraising totals particularly in support to programs for orphan education in the affected countries. Collection boxes for students are in place and the Dean's reception desk is collecting the checks for faculty and staff.
The four suggested organizations include:
- California Bank and Trust Fund for Sri Lanka - committed to meeting needs of the Sri Lankan tsunami survivors
- Christian Children's Child Alert Fund - will match $1 to every $2 donated until they reach one million in giving
- International Red Cross - be sure and write Tsunami Relief on the check itself
- Sarvodaya Foundation - Sri Lankans and others supporting rebuilding infrastructures, starting with an orphanage
Thank you in advance. IR/PS can make a bold statement to UCSD, San Diego at large, and to the international community itself of care and support in these most challenging times. I will be sending progress reports to you as needed. Until next time, thank you in advance for your support.
Dean Peter F. Cowhey
Tsunami Relief Update (01/28/05)
Dear IR/PS Community,
In the past two weeks, IR/PS students through the Reaches Out program have raised over $1,000. As you may remember this will go directly to children in the affected areas as individualized school supplies through the United Church of Christ. Jeremy Long and Annie Tsai will keep you posted on the schedule this coming week for packing these items along with a photo of our students with contact information for IR/PS.
Our committee continues to pursue appropriate summer internship programs in the tsunami affected areas. We will keep you posted as this develops in the coming months. Additionally, for one week only the students are working with the local Sri Lankan community to gather and send to both Northern and Southern Sri Lanka items such as pots, pans, utensils, cutting knives, cutting boards, plastic/metal plates, cups(not disposable), large serving/cooking spoons, garden plastic pots, garden hand tools, school supplies such as paper, pads, pencils, erasers, chalk, small toys, household tote bags, items for sewing kits, cotton fabric, scissors, and adult and children's clothing. Receptacles are located in five areas around IR/PS: the dean's office, downstairs student affairs, Robinson auditorium, the IR/PS library and the student lounge. All items will be picked up to be shipped to Sri Lanka on Friday, February 4.
The relief fund check writing efforts now total $1820. With promised matching funds, this comes to $2,320.
Thank you again for your support!
Peter
Tsunami Relief Update (07/29/05)
Update from Mano Appapillai:
Here is a quick update on the combined effort of many in San Diego to help the affected people of Sri Lanka after the devastating Tsunami of Dec 2004.
Mr. John and Paddy John just returned from Sri Lanka where they were able to meet with the Sarvodaya Organization, which agreed to distribute the contents of the container.The note below is part of a note that Mr. John Johns sent me this week.
Thank you very much everybody for the great effort.
Note from John Johns:
There are a total of ten photos, all taken at the headquarters of Sarvodaya in the outskirts of Colombo. Several of the photos were taken in the warehouse, where our shipment had been offloaded from the container and was about to be broken down and distributed.
We had a total of five meetings with Sarvodaya, and the more we observed their operation, the more impressed we were. I am very confident that the money and supplies we funneled through Sarvodaya were properly handled and efficently disbursed. All of us who participated in this effort can take pride and comfort in its execution. There is no question that we helped the people who needed it.
