FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (9/05)
Contact: Lynn Stewart or Kelsey Johnson, Centenary News Service, 318-869-5120 or 318-841-7265

Update on Centenary College of Louisiana Activities Related to Hurricane Katrina Evacuees and needs

Advisory from Centenary College President Kenneth L. Schwab, Friday, Sept. 2, 2005

As the magnitude of the devastation and needs of the Hurricane Katrina victims continues to unfold in our state, the Centenary community is working dilligently to help our students from the affected areas as well as evacuated Dillard University students, Centenary alumni and so many others in need. Here are some of the activities under way:

1. Monetary Contributions. Centenary College has set up an account for Centenary students who are from hurricane-affected areas in Louisiana and Mississippi. This is in addition to the previously announced fund to aid the Dillard University evacuees who have taken refuge on our campus since Sunday. Contributions can be made to the Centenary Hurricane Relief Fund, in care of the President's Office, Centenary College of Louisiana, 2911 Centenary Boulevard, Shreveport, LA 71104. Checks should be made out to Centenary College.

2. Portion of Border Blast Event Saturday, Sept. 3 to Benefit Centenary Hurricane Victims. Alumnus Mike Finnegan, who has organized the Border Blast interstate high school football game between Evangel Academy and Springdale in Arkansas, will donate a portion of the proceeds of that event to the Hurricane Relief Fund at Centenary. The game between the two nationally ranked high school teams begins at 2 p.m. at Independence Stadium. During the national broadcast on Fox Sports Net, Fox will interview Centenary staff and hurricane-affected students.

3. Update on Dillard University evacuees at Centenary. We have found local housing, adoptive "families" or assisted with the return home of almost all of the initial 230 Dillard University students who escaped Hurricane Katrina on Saturday evening and who were housed in the Gold Dome this week. The college sent a chartered bus north to Chicago, with numerous drop-off points along the way, to assist Dillard students in returning to their homes. Lake Bethlehme Baptist Church with help from Ms. Tabitha Taylor, has sent buses to Atlanta, Dallas and Houston and purchased tickets. Others were helped with various arrangements to allow them to return to family or friends. We continue to work with the Dillard Alumni Association to place students from the New Orleans area in more permanent and comfortable local housing. Special thanks are due to the many Centenary staff, faculty, students and friends who have worked with the Dillard evacuees. We hope to have a link to a new Dillard web site available soon, as well as an 800 number that students can call for information.

4. Student service activities on campus.
-- This afternoon at 2:30, Centenary student and faculty volunteers will depart from in front of James Hall and will walk the three blocks to KTBS-TV Channel 3. There they will help receive and load hurricane relief supplies and travel with trucks to unload the supplies to storage containers.

-- Also today, donations will be collected to purchase the supplies for flood buckets and health kits. Donations can be dropped off at the Chaplain's Office in Room 205 of the Smith Building.

--Students will be putting together health kits and flood buckets at the Religious Life Center Saturday night. These will be donated to the United Methodist Comitte on Relief (UMCOR).

--The Centenary baseball team is working to organize a games camp for the children of hurricane evacuees on Sunday, Sept. 11.

--Donations of canned goods and cash will be collected in the Gold Dome during the annual Book Bazaar Sept. 9 and 10.

5. Our offices of Admissions and Financial Aid are working with displaced students from the Gulf Coast to assist them in any way we can to enroll in fall semester classes until they can return to their own institutions. See the advisory at http://www.centenary.edu/news/2005/August/0026.html for details. We will continue to enroll students until noon on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Additional opportunities to help, as reported by the Office of Service Learning:

1. Centenary graduate Patrick Fertitta, is coordinating a phone bank locally called Share your home. Click on http://www.shareyourhome.org . If you are interested in volunteering at this phone bank, please call him at 318-453-6670 (cell) or 318- 221-6670 (home).

2. KTBS Channel 3 will be spending the next 2-3 months collecting items for the evacuees in our area. Volunteers are needed to help those at KTBS man the stations around the area where the truck will be located. If you can spare an hour or two, or even a half day, please contact Mary Anthony at 861-5836.

3. The local Red Cross phone number is 318-865-9545. However, the phone lines are busy. If you wish to assist the Red Cross, they are looking for volunteers at LSUS gymnasium. Just go there.

4. Hirsch Coliseum has evacuees. They are also looking for volunteers."

The Centenary community is pulling together to meet the needs of our extended community. Thank you all for your service and your prayers during this time.

Ken Schwab
President

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