Shepard sends message to community about helping those affected by Hurricane Sandy

Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard sent a message today to the WWU community regarding ways to help victims of Hurricane Sandy:

Dear Colleagues, Alumni and Friends of Western:

Like you, I have been transfixed over the past several days by the tragic images of Hurricane Sandy’s devastating impact on the lives of millions on the East Coast. Words simply fail to capture the scope of the disaster, the lives disrupted, and the tremendous effort it will take to rebuild. For those members of the Western community who are personally dealing with the aftermath of this catastrophe, or have friends and loved ones doing so, the heartfelt thoughts and wishes of the Western campus community are with you.

All of you who are Western know that our way is first and foremost about making a positive difference in the lives of others. Now, we all have a simple and direct opportunity to do just that by donating to badly needed disaster relief and rebuilding efforts:

The Combined Fund Drive has established a Hurricane Sandy Relief campaign, which will be accepting donations until November 23rd. For this one time, anyone affiliated with Western (employees, students, alumni, parents, members of the community) can make a credit card donation through this state workplace giving program. These donations will be distributed equally between the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, ASPCA, Catholic Charities USA, Children’s Hunger Fund, Convoy of Hope, Feed the Children, Humane Society of the United States, New Generation Ministries, Samaritans Purse, and World Vision. Please consider visiting www.cfd.wa.gov/contribution.aspx, select Hurricane Sandy Relief Campaign in the dropdown menu, and Western Washington University as the agency in the donor information section to make your contribution.

You may also wish to visit FEMA’s donation and volunteer page for Hurricane Sandy at www.fema.gov/volunteer-donate-responsibly. There you can find additional information and choices about how and where to direct your support for the Hurricane victims.

Thank you for considering one of these ways for putting your compassion into action.

Sincerely,

Bruce Shepard
President