In the aftermath of the disastrous hurricanes which have recently overwhelmed the South, countless organizations have helped collect funds to aid victims and help rebuild demolished cities. Not surprisingly, many groups on campus are part of this effort.
Since the beginning of the academic year, customers at the Follett bookstore have been asked if they’d like to make a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund whenever they pay for their purchases. The money goes directly to the American Red Cross.
I was at work in the bookstore two weeks ago when a co-worker of mine asked a customer if she’d like to donate a dollar to the fund. The customer replied without hesitation that she would, and wondered aloud,”Who wouldn’t?” My co-worker explained to her that people have a tendency to grow weary of hearing about it – about the hurricane, about the losses, about the need for money.
The customer raised a commendable and valid point: The victims of the hurricane are also tired of hearing about the damage and living in the midst of it, but they have to face it every day. Unlike those of us in other parts of the country who are enjoying the early fall weather and going to work and school, the victims don’t have our easy choice of turning away when we become tired of unrelenting hurricane news.
Luckily, the response of this customer was not unusual. I heard one man ask if he could donate more than a dollar; some customers donate up to $10 or $20. However, there are those who prefer not to donate. I cannot condemn that choice, as most customers in the bookstore are college students and have a seemingly limitless number of expenses.
The stress that such disasters puts on a population are not only financial, but also pyschological; it is tiring to turn on the news and hear about nothing but hurricanes. It is also tiring to try to do one’s basic shopping and be faced with the news there as well.
On the other hand, when I catch myself about to say “No” to yet one more hurricane donation, I cannot help but wonder what could I possibly need this single dollar for when so many others need it much more than I do.
We are lucky to have the choice to turn away, but we should be careful not to take advantage of this choice too frequently. It will be our action, rather than our inaction, that allows huricane victims to regain the means to live healthily and safely and be able to make choices of their own.
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