In the wake of Hurricane Harvey hitting Texas and other parts of the Gulf Coast, many people, groups, churches, organizations, companies, and schools have been mobilizing to serve those affected. Students are very compassionate and colleges and universities have a lot of resources to offer when there is a tragedy. Before rushing in to help, here are some things to consider:
- In the early stages of the aftermath of a major event, people can be of the most assistance by donating money to a disaster relief organization and by giving blood. For example, the American Red Cross is typically one of the first organizations to react by getting on the ground quickly to meet the most immediate needs with water, food and other supplies.Blood donations are an often overlooked resource, but people being rescued from tragedies often require medical care. Help ensure there is enough blood on hand by donating on a regular basis, not just after a need presents itself. Learn more about how to work with the American Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/
- Do not self deploy! When you send yourself into the midst of an active situation, you may actually hinder rescue efforts and get into a jam where you need to be rescued yourself. Align yourself with a disaster relief organization to learn how your skills can be utilized to the fullest. Serving in this manner is way more satisfying than taking it upon yourself to help in unhelpful way.
- Collections are fine but ensure that what you want to collect and donate is going to be needed and will be used! After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, donations of teddy bears, paper snow flakes, and other items overwhelmed the small town. A 20,000 square foot warehouse had to be secured to store, among other things, over 65,000 stuffed animals. While this outpouring of love and support was appreciated, it caused new issues for the residents to manage amidst their grief.Of course, not all tragedies are on this scale, but it is the inherent nature of people to want to help. Three days before Christmas in 2004, there was a horrible fire on my street that destroyed four homes and severely damaged two more. It was very prominent on the Atlanta morning news shows as it happened just before rush hour and our house had once been owned by a very well-known radio celebrity. While we were thankful for the kind and generous offers from our community to help the victims, people began offering items that were not going to be helpful:
— Since it was right before Christmas, calls were coming in from people who wanted to donate toys and other presents. At that time, only three children lived on our circle and none were in the affected homes. We suggested those donations go to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.
— Local restaurants wanted to bring over food for the victims. A wonderful gesture, but the fire happened around 4 am. By the time the restaurants in the area were open, the victims had been picked up by friends and family and were scattered around town. We instead asked for gift cards, since their money, credit cards, etc. had been destroyed. For any hot meals already prepared, we suggested they be taken to the fire and police stations that had responded to the fire.
- Be flexible! Understand that aid that is needed now is going to be different than what will be needed in the weeks and months to come. For example, I will be helping to coordinate a day of service on October 26 as part of a conference in Houston. It is hard to know what will be needed then as rescue efforts are still being made. I am making strategic contacts at this point to let key people know I will have up to several hundred students available to serve the victims and recovery efforts. We will have the opportunity to make a difference, but it is too early to know what we will be doing to help.
Please either email me at DaveKelly@GonzoSpeaks.com or call me at 770-552-6592 if you are looking for project ideas or agencies you can partner with. As always, please check out my website to learn more about how I can have an impact on your campus, particularly in the area of serving leadership. Booking me will not break the bank – check out my Affordable Pricing Model for a quote! I look forward to serving your students!