Students and staff open their hearts for tsunami relief

By Barbara Black

Students have raised $137,000 for the victims of the huge underwater earthquake and resulting tsunami that killed more than 200,000 and displaced millions in Southeast Asia on Dec. 26.

The Concordia Student Union raised money from a cabane à sucre, a party at Reggie’s, hot chocolate and tea served at the shuttle bus line, and club events.

Lauren Teblum, the CSU’s VP finance, said the Muslim Student Association alone raised $70,000, and the Cutam Tamil raised $14,000; both are clubs affiliated with the CSU. The CSU itself contributed $20,000, and the office of Vice-President Marcel Danis gave $27,000.

The CSU held a Tsunami Relief Day on Jan. 13, which alone raised $1,500.

“This event was extremely rewarding,” she said. “It was amazing to see all the clubs working together to achieve a mutual goal.

“In the past there was tension between the clubs, [but] everyone was happy to work with one another. Club presidents exchanged phone numbers so that they could get together again in the future.

“All students enjoyed coming out to see what the clubs put together. The break dancers were a big hit!

“Many students had loved ones who died in the tsunami, and that is why it was so important for us to all come together to show our support.

“The administration understood this, and really got involved by helping match our funds as well as by helping organize many of the events.”

The Recreation and Athletics Department, as we reported in the Jan. 13 issue of CTR, raised $4,000 through the Theresa Humes Women's Hockey Tournament earlier this month.

PERMIKA, the Indonesian Student Association in Montreal, in collaboration with UMSA, the United Muslim Student Association, held a dinner on Jan. 8 in the cafeteria on the 7th floor of Concordia's Hall Building to raise money for victims in Indonesia.

Another source of donations for relief efforts was a luncheon held Dec. 17 for employees in the sector reporting to Marcel Danis. Department directors collected $3,438 from guests, and this was matched by Danis’s office. A donation of $6,938 was turned over to Oxfam.

In the photo at right, Lauren Teblum has just put an image representing hope on Project Earth, an art piece featured at the CSU's Tsunami Relief Fundraising Day. Lauren is in marketing in the John Molson School of Business.