Fairfield University efforts to help those impacted by Typhoon Haiyan | Press Releases

Image: Fairfield University flags Fairfield University's Center for Faith and Public Life is organizing a major effort through the Jesuit Universities Humanitarian Action Network (JUHAN) to help people suffering in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. A 'Day of Solidarity and Fundraising' will be held this Friday, November 22. Efforts include an interfaith prayer service, a prayer wall, a radio show, and bake sale.

The Southeast Asian country was hit by a historic typhoon on November 8, the most violent storm ever recorded to make landfall. Thousands are dead and many people have been left homeless and without clean drinking water and adequate food supplies.

"Events such as these remind us all of the fragility of life, and of our responsibility as compassionate persons and global citizens to offer what assistance we can to our fellow men and women," said Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., president of Fairfield University.

The events include:

JUHAN Bake Sale
10 a.m.-3 p.m., Barone Campus Center (BCC) Lower Level
Cupcakes and cookies will be sold for $1. That dollar can purchase enough water purification tablets for 90 gallons of water. Stop by the BCC for a taste a Filipino food and sway to the tunes of Filipino music. All proceeds will go towards the Disaster Response and Management (DREAM) Team at the Jesuit-founded Ateneo University in Manila. Baked goods are made by students and donated by Sodexo.

Radio Programming
Tune into Fairfield University's WVOF radio station (88.5 FM) for programming on what's happening in the Philippines: 10 a.m.-11 a.m, and 2 p.m.-3 p.m. Faculty member Ana Siscar, J.D., a native of the Philippines, will discuss the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on the people of the Philippines.

Interfaith Prayer Service
Mass at 12:10 p.m. in Egan Chapel
There will also be an interfaith service at 1:30 in BCC Lower Level.

Additional efforts

Fairfield University students can use their StagCards in the BCC Dining Room or at the BCC mailroom to donate money directly to the Dream Team.

Stop by and add your thoughts to the prayer wall by the BCC Info Desk. JUHAN will send it to Ateneo University to let the people of the Philippines know that they are in Fairfield's thoughts and prayers

Click here for further details as well as links to relief agencies that are mobilized in the Philippines: http://www.fairfield.edu/cfpl/humanitarianeducation/juhanthephilippines /

The campus community is also welcome to attend Sodexo's annual Thanksgiving luncheon this Thursday, November 21 in the Oak Room, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. In light of the tragedy in the Philippines, attendees are asked to consider paying $10 for the luncheon rather than the normal $6 cost. All funds collected for the luncheon will be donated to the Fairfield University chapter of JUHAN to support the Day of Solidarity.

JUHAN was launched in 2008 through a joint collaboration between Georgetown, Fordham and Fairfield Universities on the premise that in addressing the needs of those who are suffering, our academic institutions can be more effective when working together rather than independently. The initiative aims to further build the capacity for humanitarian training among member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). JUHAN comes at a time when the global need for expertise in humanitarian relief continues unabated.