Badger fans rushed to help raise nearly $60,000 in relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina on opening day of the University of Wisconsin football season, supporting efforts to aid those deluged by the disaster.
A group of 40 “Fan Ambassadors,” in coordination with 25 student athletes, staff and administrators walked the area surrounding Camp Randall on Saturday with donation buckets. The “Ambassadors” managed to raise more than $24,000 for the effort.
In addition, the UW Athletic Department and National W Club donated 10 percent of all concessions sold, totaling $35,000.
“I was particularly impressed with the student response … people were chasing me down,” UW Chancellor John Wiley said, after patrolling Breese Terrace pre-gamers for donations. “One guy showed me he was giving me the last dollar in his wallet. I thought it was positively inspirational.”
Aside from fundraising, the university is also doing its part to help victimized college students from the New Orleans area. Students who turned down their acceptance to study at UW will be allowed admittance this fall semester and the university will also allow those who have not applied to be accepted as “special students,” Wiley said.
UW has enrolled 76 student-refugees as of press-time and will continue to assist more without higher education in the wake of Katrina, according to a university statement.
While the university works to admit students who have been misplaced by the damage in New Orleans, student athletes at UW joined in to aid the victims of the storm through fundraising.
UW women’s crew team member Meg Bradshaw said despite temptations to party and tailgate prior to the Saturday football game, many athletes were willing to lend a hand for those in need.
“I was really impressed with the number of athletes and non-athletes participating,” she said. “It was awesome. People were so generous. They would write $100 checks.”
Bradshaw, who also serves as vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, said UW student athletes will continue to aid Katrina’s victims.
“There are kids down there who didn’t get to go to their first game,” she said. “It’s a small taste of what we can do. … We need to do something about it quickly, and we need to do everything we can.”
Kelli Richards, life-skills coordinator for the NCAA Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success program, said many student-athletes were “ready and willing” to help out “at the drop of a hat.”
“We thought this would be a good time to get donations because there are so many people there at one time,” Richards said. “We thought it would be a great opportunity to use athletics and our facilities to collect donations for this event.”
Richards, who also volunteered in the effort, added many people were giving large cash donations, while others stopped to write checks and thank volunteers.
Similarly, Steve Malchow, UW associate athletic director of communications, said the department is proud to help those in need, adding that Badger fans “stepped up to the plate” as he expected.
“It’s been great teamwork,” Malchow said.
Those who were unable to attend Saturday’s game but would still like to contribute to relief efforts can contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-HELP-NOW or visit www.redcross.org.
