Norwich community creates relief fund

Tropical storm Irene came and left, leaving behind flooded homes and crushed spirits.

Many students, faculty, staff and alumni in Northfield and surrounding areas were affected by the disastrous path of Irene, and were calling for help.

The Norwich community responded quickly. It took one email, and 24 hours later, the Norwich University Relief Fund was created, giving hope in a time of need.

According to Curtis Ostler, members of the NU family began contacting the university on Monday, Aug. 29, asking how they could help members of their alma mater who were affected by the storm.

This triggered a response by the school, and an email was sent out to the entire NU community explaining the need for assistance.

A board was formed to handle the distribution and monitoring of the fund. Ostler, the director of the office of development and alumni relations; Nicole DiDomenico, the director of the Center for Civic Engagement; Reverend Wick; and human resources department member Ellen Liptak were appointed as board members.

On Friday, Sept. 2, a memo was released to the NU community explaining the purpose of the relief fund, outlining the general guidelines for applying for aid.

By Sept. 9, more than 130 donations had been made totaling more than $80,000.

According to Ostler, the majority of the money coming in was done so electronically, via the internet. He said that it is all being processed and accounted for by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

The main requirement to receive aid is to be a Norwich community member.

"It's who we consider to be a part of the Norwich family, which would certainly be current students affected, faculty and staff members, and alumni in the central Vermont area," Ostler said.

Any aid money given out is not expected to be paid back, said Ostler. "They are not loans; we have designated the money for immediate aid for individuals who have suffered some material loss."

The Center for Civic Engagement and Campus Climate was delegated with the task of handling the applications and ensuring that people know that help is readily available.

"Right now, based on the amount of funds we have collected and the anticipated need, we are offering up to a $1,000 per household grant," said Ostler. "If not as many people apply that we are expecting to, and we end up with excess money, we will raise that limit."

Also, if the availability of funds is in excess of the need, the money will be put aside and saved for future instances when assistance is needed, said Ostler.

"We specifically set this up as the NU Relief Fund, not the Hurricane Irene relief fund. We realized that the need for assistance can come up again anytime in the future," said Ostler. "Unfortunately bad things happen, and this fund will be in place to help those in need."

The application process is simple and has been expedited to ensure that individuals in need of necessities get them as soon as possible.

"Applicants apply for the grant, and then at least two members of the committee approve it. Once approved the recipients purchase what they need, bring back the receipts, and are subsequently reimbursed for that amount," Ostler said.

According to the memo released by the NU Relief Board, the money is intended to be used to replace items critical for survival.

"These items include, but are not limited to: food, clothing, health and medical supplies, computers, books, school supplies, household supplies (such as furniture, bedding, towels, and kitchenware), appliances, professional service home repair, home heating fuel (oil, gas, wood, pellets), and other items of demonstrated need and loss."

"What we don't want to do is replace someone's flat screen television; it has to be something that is a critical need, not a luxury item," Ostler said.

"This isn't a way for someone to say, ‘Hey I'm going to upgrade my computer.' If you lost a laptop as a student we're going to make sure you get another one," said Ostler. "However, I don't think that it is going to be an issue, I don't think anyone is going to be taking advantage of this."

In addition to the grants being given to qualified applicants, "a small amount of the money is also going to aid the infrastructure," said Ostler. "We need to have extra staff in the office (Center for Civic Engagement) to handle all of the volunteers."

As of Sept. 9, Norwich students, faculty and staff have given over 3,500 volunteer hours to Northfield and the surrounding towns. "It takes logistics to make sure everyone is safe, that we're supplying things like rubber gloves and masks, that transportation is available," Ostler said.

Although there were some substantial donations initially made to the relief fund, everyone that has contributed is equally responsible for helping those in need, said Ostler.

"It's great to see all the efforts by the Norwich community. Norwich itself received very little damage yet we have given over 3,500 volunteer hours in under two week's time … very impressive," he said.

Irene demonstrated that Mother Nature should not be underestimated. The storm may have caused a lot of damage, but the lasting impression will be of the uplifting, community-wide effort that took place in the days and weeks following.