Local organizations offer help

Here are some of the local organizations helping in the Katrina relief effort.

Fundraising

“ Thirty-seven runners from the University High School cross country team will host a “Run for Relief” to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina beginning at 2:30 p.m. today. T-shirts will be sold for a suggested donation of $10 in front of the Riverfront Park Clocktower until 4 p.m. for the event. At 3 p.m. the team will begin the run from the park along the Centennial Trail to Mirabeau Point in honor of the victims. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the American Red Cross.

“ The Spokane business community and the city of Spokane will host an all-ages fund-raising concert for victims of Hurricane Katrina at 4 p.m. today at The Big Easy Concert House, 919 W. Sprague. A monetary donation to the American Red Cross is required for entry, with proceeds going to the national organization and its local chapter. Event organizers say it will include athletes from Gonzaga University and Eastern Washington University, regional musicians and special guests. The Inland Northwest Blood Center will have a mobile unit there to accept blood donations. For more information call the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce, at (509) 459-4117 or the Inland Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross, at (509) 326-3330.

“ The Salvation Army is asking local businesses to set out one of the organization’s countertop collection containers to raise money for hurricane relief. All of the money raised through the drive will go to help hurricane victims and first responders, the organization said; none will go for advertising or administration. Businesses that want to participate should call (509) 325-6810.

Education

“ Whitworth College said it will offer free tuition to up to 10 students enrolled in colleges and universities that have been closed in hurricane-affected areas. To be eligible, students must have already been registered for classes at their home colleges and have made arrangement for payment there, Whitworth said. The private north Spokane college will waive tuition for those students, but are asking them to pay their home institutions to help with reconstruction. “We can’t go to the Gulf Coast to help, but Whitworth can help to continue the education of displaced students,” said Michael Le Roy, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Whitworth. For more information, contact the Whitworth student life office at (509) 777-3271.

Let us know how your organization is helping. Send information on Katrina relief efforts to Addy Hatch at addyh@spokesman.com, or by mail at 999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201.