Ball State University and the American Red Cross’ local Hoosier Heartland Chapter are teaming up to raise money for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.
Student and faculty volunteers manned the phones in the studio of television station WIPB-TV early this morning. The telethon will continue through Friday, with volunteers rotating between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day. The radio station 104.1 WLBC will be broadcasting the telethon and giving updates to listeners throughout the day.
Pi Beta Sigma President Desmond Alvies said he jumped at the opportunity to help. He said he was disappointed by the lack of hurricane relief drives compared to the number of tsunami relief drives last year.
“It’s a natural disaster that affects people right here in this country. In many cases, we have students with family down there. These are our people, our citizens and even if it is an impoverished area, it shouldn’t be cut short of any relief,” Alvies said.
While he is already signed up to work Thursday afternoon, he said he plans to come in as often as possible over the three-day drive.
Trina Rogers, and telethon coordinator, said the telethon still needs many more volunteers.
“We wanted to get Ball State students to help. We want everybody, not just the older generation, to understand the importance of these events that have happened and how everyone needs to help out,” Rogers said.
As an alumni of Ball State’s public service sorority Delta Sigma Theta, Rogers has enlisted the help of her sorority as well as other Greek organizations on campus to work the phones.
Delta Sigma Theta has 10 of its 14 members signed up to work shifts so far, sorority president Cequila White said. Along with volunteering at the telethon, Delta Sigma Theta members have been working booths to raise money and gather supplies, which they will send down to the disaster area with telecommunications professor Maria Williams-Hawkins when she goes to Louisiana later this week.
“It’s an easy way to help out. Everyone can’t give money, go buy items or have extra items lying around at home. It’s accessible, it’s right here on campus, and all you have to do is answer phones,” White said. “The Red Cross has it scripted out. It’s an easy job, but you are doing a lot to help the effort.”
Brian Fern, director of community support for the Muncie American Red Cross, and Allan Rent, director of University Marketing for Ball State, began planning the telethon last week after Katrina hit, but when they headed down to Louisiana, Rogers took over because of her experience as an intern at the Red Cross over the summer.
As of last night, only two or three volunteers were signed up for each time slot of two hours, Tricia Brasher, Red Cross director of volunteers, said. The telethon could use up to 15 volunteers per time slot, she said.
Rogers recommends volunteers have at least two hours of time to donate to the telethon. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign-up by calling Rogers during the day at (765) 284-3361 or evenings at (765) 744-0030. While volunteers are still needed for all shifts, they are especially needed in the early mornings and late afternoons.
“We would like to have more, especially starting around 8 a.m. when people will be going to work and class and listening to the radio,” Rogers said. She said that many of the volunteers, especially Ball State faculty and staff, have been signing up to come in during lunch breaks.
Anyone interested in pledging money in the telethon should call in between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. to the WIPB studio at 747-4949 or (800)252-9472. Donations of any size are welcome but will only be accepted in checks, money orders or credit cards. All contributions will be put into the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, Rogers said.
“We haven’t set a monetary goal, we are just going to raise what we can towards helping the people down there. It will go towards everything—blankets, food, water. As far as I know they are making hundreds of thousands of meals everyday for these people,” Rogers said.
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