Brian Reuwee
Associate Director When I saw the photos and video coming from the Gulf Coast following the hurricanes, all I could think was how can I help?
As I considered the resources at hand:
3,000 bright, enthusiastic, hard working and resourceful college
students and a network of agricultural professionals, my thinking
evolved from "I" to "we." That Alpha Zeta lacked funding and disaster
relief experience didn't matter.
The result: on Jan. 5, 2006, a team of
20 to 30 Alpha Zeta members will converge on St. Tammany Parish in
Louisiana for five days of mending fences, clearing brush and
rebuilding barns.
Originally, the plan was small: recruit
a few students from Missouri, Illinois and Kansas (chapters closest to
the national office); rent a van; drive to Louisiana, Mississippi or
Alabama; and work through a relief agency in a rural community.
From
the start I sought a hands-on project, at a time after the hype died
down and in an area not getting the attention it deserves - namely
rural communities and farms.
The response of the student members has
been overwhelming. More than thirty expressed interest, including
members from California, New Jersey and Virginia. A dozen members would
have been a positive reaction.
However, with 20 to 30 participants
funding becomes an issue. How does AZ pay for meals, transportation,
lodging, gas and other supplies?
With many volunteers sacrificing time
with family and paying for flights to St. Louis or Louisiana, it would
be a shame to ask them to foot the bill for anything else.
Although many of you have already
opened your wallet for other worthy relief causes following the
hurricanes, I respectfully ask for your generosity once again to help
the Alpha Zeta Foundation help those affected by the hurricanes.
Your support will be dedicated to this
project and the Alpha Zeta members who are helping farmers and ranchers
in Louisiana. It will help defer the cost of transportation, lodging,
food and other supplies. The total for these expenses could be more
than $5,000.
Thanks to a partnership with the
Louisiana Farm Bureau, Alpha Zeta will have a place to stay and jobs to
do. Your support will help offset costs not covered by the generosity
of the Louisiana Farm Bureau.
Chapters volunteer at their university,
ag college and community. The work trip will mark the first time Alpha
Zeta has committed to a service project bringing together members from
across the country to a common goal. It fits nicely within the
objectives of the organization: To do the greatest good for the
greatest number and serve the agricultural community.
Assisting rural communities after the
devastation of Katrina and Rita is something I, and the volunteers for
this work trip, feel passionate enough about to dedicate our time and
energy. I hope you will support our efforts through the Alpha Zeta
Foundation to bring some relief to the Gulf Coast.
To make a donation to the Alpha Zeta
Foundation call: (800) 225-3629 or write: 16020 Swingley Ridge Road,
Suite 300; Chesterfield, MO 63017.
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