After a tornado swept through her hometown this past month, freshman Kathryn Pillischafske is finding a way to give back and help the victims from over 150 miles away.
Name: Kathryn Pillischafske
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Washington, IL
Major: Anthropology Pre-Medicine
Birthday: 06/27/1995
HC: Can you explain the tragedy that took place in your hometown on November 17th, 2013?
On November 17th, 2013, Central Illinois was hit by a series of massive tornadoes. There are at least 6 confirmed deaths, hundreds of injuries, and thousands of families without homes. The town hardest hit by these was Washington, IL, my hometown. The tornado hit Washington at 11 a.m. and tore through town from the southwest to the northeast, destroying everything in its path. The tornado was massive and black, moving 20-30 miles per hour with 200 mile per hour winds. Windows were blown out of almost every home, cars were picked up and flipped across streets, and hundreds of houses were completely leveled.
From the pictures and videos I have seen, Washington is unrecognizable. Houses have been reduced to splinters of wood. After the storm, families were wandering through the rubble picking up small things like plates, excited to see anything that had survived. Photographs and personal items of those affected by the storm have been found as far away as the Chicago area, nearly 200 miles away. It was very stressful for me not being at home that day because I heard about the storm on the news, but the phone lines and power were out in Washington. I saw pictures of houses and businesses destroyed and reduced to matchsticks, but I had no way to make sure my family was alright. It was not until hours after the storm that I got in contact with them and knew they were not hurt.
HC: What have you been doing to help those that fell victim to the tornado?
The day of the tornado, I felt useless because there was no way for me to get home or into town to help. I knew that Red Cross was on the way to Washington for disaster relief, so I decided to make a website through the Red Cross to get donations to the town. The website’s donations go directly to the tornado relief in Central Illinois. (http://www.crowdrise.com/washingtontornadorelief/fundraiser/kathrynpillischafske)
HC: What inspired you to give back?
I knew I had to give back to Washington because it has given so much to me. It is my hometown, and the people there are some of the most caring people I have ever met. None of them deserved to have their homes taken away especially around the holidays.
HC: After going home this weekend for Thanksgiving, did you notice any visible progress in restoration efforts?
I was not allowed to go home this weekend because the National Guard is heavily guarding the town and the devastation around my house is particularly bad. I have talked to some of my friends who have been in town and they said that the restoration efforts are going well. People have gotten all of the possessions they can out of their homes, and now the rubble is being cleared. Houses cannot be rebuilt now because winter has started, and it will be snowing soon. Many families are staying with friends or have bought new houses in the surrounding area, but it will be a long time before the town can be rebuilt.
HC: What can other Northwestern students do to help?
Many donations have been coming in over the past few weeks. The physical donation centers that I knew of have already sent the items to Washington. The best thing to do now would be to donate money to the relief efforts helping out in the area and pray for the safety of the people in Central Illinois.
HC: Besides your philanthropic work, are you involved in any other activities on campus?
I took part in the Project Wildcat backpacking trip, and I am on the Corporate committee of Dance Marathon.