Students, faculty and staff responded quickly to the devastating tornado that hit Faulkner, Pulaski and White Counties on April 27, 2014. Collection boxes for comfort kit donations for the American Red Cross had been placed throughout the campus the week before by the Student Nurses Association, and stayed relatively empty until April 28. The boxes are now overflowing with generous donations!
One of our PhD students, Amy Hester, has been certified as a Red Cross nurse, so forwarded the Email to colleagues in the UAMS Medical Center; their donations will be added to the SNA collection. Dr. Cheryl Schmidt sent an Email to CON seniors who had just completed their Red Cross Disaster Certification in March, asking for volunteers to work in the shelters set up in the affected communities. Volunteers signed up quickly, despite the need to finish clinical and study for final exams. Additional volunteers will be recruited by Dr. Schmidt and Ms. Joy Jennings (both certified Red Cross volunteers) for the coming week.
One senior sent out an Email asking for donations of supplies to take care of pets, and collection sites have been arranged in the CON. Another senior is organizing volunteers to assist with the clean-up efforts when they are not needed to provide health services in the shelters. Faculty donated money during the April 28 Faculty Meeting, which was hand-carried to the local Red Cross Chapter. Thank you to all of the generous volunteers and donors in the College of Nursing!