September 12, 2005
Sophomore nursing student Joni
Considine of Burrton, Kan., said that while driving to the college
to attend a class Friday morning, Sept. 2, she heard about an effort
by a Wichita radio station to send bottled water to hurricane survivors.
She challenged the entire nursing department that day to give money
to purchase bottled water. "Our goal was to buy all the bottled
water from Hesston Food Market, and we did," she said. "The
manager, Randy Toews, also gave us a discounted price." She delivered
390 bottles of water to the radio station later that day.
In addition, Considine said she
discussed with three other sophomore nursing students--Kelly Lukens,
Wichita; Crystal Perez, Park City; and Jenna McAnulty, Newton--what
else they could do. "We thought we could do more," she said.
"As commuting students, we wanted to get involved in a campus
service opportunity outside of our nursing classes.
"So we decided to start a
week-long campus-wide drive to collect everyday necessities, like
underwear, toothpaste, soap, and so on," she said. "These
are things the hurricane survivors need and can't just go to a store
and buy like we can."
Lukens said baby formula was part
of the drive. "That's because on television, I saw a baby who
was too dehydrated to wake up," she said.
Lukens said the items collected
were delivered to a Wichita television station or one of the Dillons
stores in Wichita that were serving as a collection point. "We're
acting as a middleman, since there isn't a Dillons store in Hesston,"
she said. The delivery was made using an extra truck and trailer owned
by her husband's landscaping firm, Lukens Lawn and Landscaping of
Wichita.
Other efforts to help hurricane
survivors included:
- The nutrition class led by instructor Jen LeFevre challenged each
individual, couple, dorm mod, department, or class to make a positive,
conscious change in one thing they did each day of the week of Sept.
4. If the change involved money, that money was to be routed to
the Peace and Service Club. Funds collected so far totaled $230
and will be routed to Mennonite Disaster Service, with a portion
of the money sent to Des Allemands Mennonite Church, located south
of New Orleans, to help church members affected by the hurricane.
The church's pastor, David Roth, graduated from the college's Pastoral
Ministries program in 1999.
If the change didn't involve money, participants were encouraged to offer a prayer of hope, guidance, and comfort to the hurricane survivors. - The Peace and Service Club has planned a Skip-A-Meal this week for students. The money raised will be sent to Mennonite Central Committee for health kits for hurricane survivors.
- Work days were slated Saturday, September 17 and Saturday, September 24 for college students to do work that needs to be done around people's houses or places of business. The work ranges from mowing and raking yards to scraping paint and painting to babysitting and dusting, vacuuming, or cleaning a house. Proceeds will go to Mennonite Disaster Service.
- Margaret Wiebe, librarian at the college's Mary Miller Library, invited people to donate new or slightly used children's books during the month of September. The books will be routed to the South Central Kansas Library System, and will ultimately be given to homeless children in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
- Sophomore Peace and Service Club members Rylan Miller, Kalona, Iowa, and Chad Unrein, Larkspur, Colo., are planning a community hymnsing at 7 p.m. Sunday, October 2, at Hesston Mennonite Church. A free-will offering will be taken for hurricane relief and rebuilding efforts. The public is invited.