Messiah College’s Community Response to Hurricane Katrina
Efforts Already Completed

In response to the devastation along the Gulf Coast of the United States after Hurricane Katrina, Messiah College students, employees and faculty have organized the following campus responses:

Members of the Messiah College community who are interested in participating in any of these relief-related activities should contact the Agapé Center for Service and Learning at (717) 766-2511, extension 7255 or at agapecenter@messiah.edu.

• The College held a special prayer time for the victims of Hurricane Katrina during its chapel service on Sept. 1.
  
  
• Students collected an offering during their weekly chapel services on Sept. 1 and 6, which to date has raised $3,500 for relief.
  
  
• President Kim S. Phipps announced in a campus-wide statement on Sept. 2 that all campus relief efforts will be coordinated through Greg Anderson, interim director of the Agapé Center for Service and Learning.
  
  
• The College passed collection buckets through the audience during the Messiah College men’s soccer game on Sept. 3 and collected $775 for relief efforts.
  
  
• The student programs office at the College will host an event to celebrate New Orleans culture from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Larsen Student Union to provide an opportunity for students to learn more about ways to help with various relief efforts. The event will include special food items and live music by bluesman K.J. James. Information tables will be set up for students and employees to learn how they can help.
  
  
• At 6 p.m. in Hostetter Chapel, the Messiah College community will hold an opportunity for prayer and reflection as the current situation along the Gulf Coast continues to unfold. This time has been specifically designed for the College community to come together as they begin to process and respond to this tragedy. All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend and participate.
  
  
• During his visit on Sept. 7 to lecture and perform a concert on campus, James McBride, bestselling author of "The Color of Water," donated his CDs to the College to sell and donate all proceeds to the College's hurricane relief fund. The CD's sold out quickly and raised $695 in less than two hours for hurricane relief.
  
  
• Messiah College administrators announced that the College will enroll, register, and waive tuition, fees and room charges for the fall semester for students who are currently enrolled at regionally accredited institutions closed as a result of Hurricane Katrina. This offer applies to students who had already made arrangements for these costs with their home institutions. Students should contact the Messiah College Admissions Office by Sept. 15, 2005. The College will make every effort to accommodate and assist interested students. For more information or to apply, call 1-800-233-4220 or e-mail admiss@messiah.edu.
  
  
• Messiah College announced that it will make an institutional gift in the amount of $10,000 to Mennonite Disaster Service.
  
• On October 8th Messiah successfully created 250 Health Kits that were donated along with $250 to Mission Central.  These kits were being delivered to Louisiana the next week.  To learn more about the details that went into organizing these efforts, click here.