Although Kent State is more than 1,000 miles away from the Gulf Coast, the university community came together for relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina pummeled that area and killed at least 1,800 people.

“It was hard to believe it was that real,” said Megan Miller, senior therapeutic recreation major. “It made me appreciate being up here where we don’t have those kinds of things happen.”

In the weeks following Katrina, Kent State students participated in blood drives, collected food and clothing and donated money toward relief efforts.

“I tried to give money when they had collections set up,” Miller said. “I tried to give a couple bucks here and there.”

Other students, such as Lexi Hewko, senior therapeutic recreation major, gave more unusual contributions to students affected by the storm.

“I had a lot of old prom dresses that we sent to the high schools down there,” Hewko said. Hewko, a former member of the Delta Zeta sorority, said she and her sorority sisters collected donated toys, clothes and canned foods.

Jessica Prchlik, junior visual communication design major, also helped students in New Orleans.

“My dance school back home had a fundraiser where they sent money to all the dance schools that were destroyed down there,” Prchlik said.

Though a year has passed, the reality of Katrina still hits home for many students, and they still recognize more help is needed.

Miller and Hewko both agreed that more needs to be done to finish cleaning up and rebuilding New Orleans.

“By this point, I’m sure they have all that (food and clothes),” Hewko said. “But with rebuilding, I think they could use a lot of help with that.”

Contact student politics reporter Kali Price at [email protected].