Hurricane Sandy ripped through the East Coast destroying many people’s lives, towns, beaches.
Houses were torn from their foundations, water flooded basements up to 6 feet high and beloved beach boardwalks no longer exist. Thousands of homes have lost power, schools have been closed for weeks and it is said that the damage in New York alone will cost $33 billion dollars.
Relief efforts have already begun in devastated areas by distributing supplies to those in need. Since I am from New Jersey, Sandy has directly affected my neighborhood. I was lucky enough not to lose power, but most people in my town have not had power for 10 days. I have also been going to the Jersey Shore for my whole life and it is now washed away.
While I have been at Ithaca College, I have been working to send supplies to relief centers and churches in affected areas. We all need to get involved in restoring people’s lives. I know it is going to take time, patience and the journey will be struggle, but we are East Coast Strong and will persevere.
Here are three easy ways to help:
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tab-stops:list 13.0pt”> normal”> Helvetica”>1. Donate, Donate, Donate! There is a great website to find different places to donate it. They are constantly updating drop off and volunteer locations. You can also donate money specifically to New York, New Jersey and Staten Island. There is also information on recent news and shelter locations. The website is www.sandyrelief.org
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tab-stops:list 13.0pt”> normal”> Helvetica”>2. Fundraise with friends. Fundraising at your school is any easy way to collect items and send them to towns in need of supplies. This can be in the form of a clothing drive or food collection. Be sure to create posters and advertise strategically at your school to promote your event. Team up with student organizations to reach out to the whole student population! Chances are, Sandy affected more of your peers then you think.
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tab-stops:list 13.0pt”> normal”> Helvetica”>3. Take advantage of social media. How many times a day are you online? From stalking on Facebook to pinning on Pinterest, college students spend a lot of their procrastinating on the web. Well, you could use some of that time to help out a good cause, Popular websites are now making it easy for customers to donate items and money directly to Sandy Relief.
-iTunes: Donate directly to the Red Cross. From $5 to $100, any amount is possible!
-eBay: Shop to support those affected by Hurricane Sandy. There are three easy ways to make a contribution. normal”>1. Buy products with the yellow and blue ribbons and those items will go to specific relief locations. 2. Donate directly with your PayPal account to the organization of your choice. 3. When selling items, choose to donate 1-100% of your final sale price to a nonprofit with eBay Giving Works.
-Twitter: Organizations have been using this popular social media tool to advertise updates on Sandy Relief and different ways to get involved.
Popular tweets to follow are:
Whether you live on the East Coast or West Coast, you can still be involved in Sandy Relief. People’s lives have been dramatically changed and for me personally, childhood memories have been, literally, washed away. What Sandy cannot destroy is our spirit and determination to help others and bring the light back into peoples lives. Let’s be East Coast Strong!