Tropical storms, hurricanes, wildfires…the last two months have been devastating for many parts of the NIRSA member community. As details about the damage and devastation from these natural disasters become clearer, many in the NIRSA family are concerned for colleagues and friends in the hardest hit areas and wondering what can be done to help.
Campus recreation has evolved over the decades and on many campuses across North America the rec departments and facilities are at the forefront of helping their communities recover after disaster strikes—as first responders, shelters, and community organizers. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, NIRSA members have supported various relief initiatives, with some schools serving as shelters or collecting supplies and many setting up dedicated funds to collect donations for hurricane relief and to assist staff and students in need of financial assistance.
If you’ve been impacted by disaster
Your NIRSA family can provide support. Let your regional representative or member of the NIRSA Headquarters staff team know how you’re doing and what your NIRSA colleagues can do to lend support to your campus community’s relief and recovery efforts. NIRSA has recently established a disaster relief webpage to serve as a clearinghouse of information for schools who are seeking support or organizing relief efforts.
Support colleagues’ relief and recovery efforts
If you’d like to stand strong with your NIRSA colleagues hit hardest by disaster, visit the NIRSA disaster relief webpage for a list of ongoing relief and recovery efforts. You can also show your solidarity with those communities in your social media posts using the hashtag #NIRSAStrong.
- If your campus is involved in organizing relief efforts or needs support, please share how the NIRSA community can help by emailing NIRSA Membership Services Coordinator Megan Granholm.
Christine Haluzak is currently NIRSA's Director of Membership and Leadership Programs; she is available at christine.haluzak@nirsa.org.
