Members of the Bates College community have donated more than $16,000 in response to the Katrina Relief Initiative (KRI), a fund-raiser spearheaded by Bates students, faculty and staff, and supported by the Office of the Chaplain and the Harward Center for Community Partnerships.

Of the $16,472 raised, $8,400 comprised cash donations, said Harward Center director David Scobey, who announced the final results of the effort organized by Bates students in the days following Hurricane Katrina. KRI will donate 70 percent of the cash to the American Red Cross for Gulf Coast relief, and 30 percent will be distributed locally for heating assistance to families in need, Scobey said.

The $8,072 balance of the total was donated by Bates contributors directly to relief agencies. “KRI deserves our thanks for leading this philanthropic effort and for the additional educational and community-building work they did. It was inspiring to see their leadership, compassion, hard work and creativity,” Scobey said.

KRI student organizer Christopher Petrella ’06 of Somers, Conn., valued the initiative experience for strengthening his sense of community and confirmed his belief that “we all, as individuals, have the ability to make a positive impact on the lives of others.”

For more information about KRI, please call 207-786-6202.

Bates College students enrolled in the course “Afroambiente” (“Black Environment”), taught by Associate Professor of Spanish Baltasar Fra-Molinero, will give a multimedia presentation on the effects of Hurricane Katrina on both New Orleans and the United States at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 29, in Room 204 of Carnegie Science Hall, Campus Avenue. The public is invited to attend free of charge.

Topics the students will discuss include a chronology of events surrounding Hurricane Katrina, the response to the emergency by authorities, a profile of the storm’s victims, media coverage of the situation and an analysis of the crisis in the context of environmental injustice.

State Sen. Peggy Rotundo will speak about the Katrina Relief Initiative, a combined effort by Bates students, staff and faculty to help victims of the hurricane and local residents affected by rising fuel costs. As of Sept. 27, the campuswide initiative has raised $12,686 –$5,097 from students and $7,589 from faculty and staff. The Bates College Harward Center for Community Partnerships is serving as the collection point for donations, which can be made by contacting community volunteer coordinator Marty Deschaines at this mdeschai@bates.edu.

A discussion will follow the presentations, and refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Dustin Drury at this ddrury@bates.edu.

The Bates College community has launched the Katrina Relief Initiative (KRI), a fund-raising effort spearheaded by students, faculty and staff, and supported by the Office of the Chaplain and the Harward Center for Community Partnerships.

“We have adopted a goal of raising $15,000 from the Bates student body – about $10 per student – marking the college’s sesquicentennial anniversary,” says student organizer Christopher Petrella, a senior from Somers, Conn. Bates students are challenging faculty and staff to match their fund-raising efforts with an additional $15,000. The fund-raising will commence at the end of the week.

KRI will donate the bulk of the funds raised to the Red Cross for Gulf Coast relief efforts. Because the effects of Katrina also extend to the Maine community, organizers also hope to donate a portion of the funds to the Leeds-based Rural Community Action Ministry for heating oil assistance to Maine families in need.

The Harward Center is setting up a special account for donations and will bundle checks and cash. Contributions can be dropped off or mailed to the Harward Center, 161 Wood St., Lewiston, to the attention of Marty Deschaines, community volunteer coordinator.

In another dimension of the college’s response to the hurricane’s devastation, a candlelight vigil for the victims of Hurricane Katrina will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, on the steps of the Keigwin Amphitheater, adjacent to Lake Andrews and behind the Olin Arts Center. The public, including children and families, is invited to participate, and candles will be provided. The chaplain’s office and the Harward Center join in sponsoring the event.

People often incorrectly view a vigil as a passive act, says Rachel Herzig, interim director of the Office of the Chaplain, whereas a more accurate way to view the word is as a verb: “to vigil, to be vigilant, to stand in solidarity with those who are suffering by opening our hearts, minds and spirits to their pain and loss.” Herzig points out that “to truly open up to another’s pain and stay present, not trying to smooth it over or away, not trying to transcend it too soon, is an act of great courage, compassion and stamina.”

The vigil is intended primarily as a spiritual event, Herzig says. However, donations to the Katrina Relief Initiative will be gratefully accepted during the gathering.

For more information about the vigil or fundraising effort, please call 207-786-8272.