Blazers respond to Hurricane Katrina

Blazers initiated efforts to help support the victims of Hurricane Katrina both individually and as a community after the devastating hurricane made its second landfall on the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, flooding New Orleans. The National Honors Society (NHS) and SGA at Blair started projects to raise money and collect supplies to send to New Orleans.

SGA

The SGA is collecting donations for hurricane relief during both lunch periods, according to the SGA president, senior Barun Aryal, "People have been really generous and we really appreciate the donations," said Aryal. Although there has been no official count of the first day's donations, Aryal said, "some people have been really generous and have given us fifties and hundreds." He also said the SGA solicited donations from parents at Back-to-School night.

Aryal also said that the SGA is planning a fundraiser basketball game between local police officers and Blair staff members. He added that Blair might hold a talent show to raise additional money, but said that plans are still in flux. The game will be sometime in the next two weeks, possibly Sept. 29, according to Aryal. All donations will be given to the Red Cross.

NHS

The NHS is contributing to Project Backpack, a donation drive started by students at Walt Whitman High School. The project will "send non-essential supplies, like markers, toys and school supplies to kids currently at the Houston Astrodome," according to NHS president Natasha Coleman, a senior.

Coleman stated that NHS dropped off 13 backpacks with the project's organizers yesterday. "They say that they're filling backpacks with love," she said. "We're trying to provide some emotional help for those kids."

Coleman said that although donations have only come from NHS members so far, the organization plans to open the drive to the rest of the school in coming weeks.

For more information on the SGA's plans, President Barun Aryal can be contacted in the SGA office, room 161, during either lunch. To make donations to project backpack, NHS President Natasha Coleman can be contacted by email. NHS sponsor Tameica Jones can be found in room 255. The Project Backpack web site contains more information