Lambuth Students Bind Together in Effort to Support Haiti

Jackson, Tenn., Jan. 25, 2010:

Lambuth students are joining together in effort to support the relief of the recent devastation in Haiti.

"Soon after news broke concerning the devastation in Haiti, students began to come and ask, ‘how can we help?'" said Lambuth Chaplain, Rev. Steven Fonville. "They wanted a way to respond immediately to the crisis."

"As those conversations were happening, I was receiving a stream of emails from the Memphis Conference offices of the United Methodist Churches detailing ways to help in Haiti. One of the simplest, most effective means to help was a call for churches to assemble health kits as specified by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)."

The United Methodist Church is calling for churches to assemble health kits to be sent to Haiti, and Lambuth students have joined the effort to help. The Religious Life Council adopted that in lieu of the regularly scheduled chapel service, they will gather to assemble health kits on Tuesday.

"It is essential that Lambuth students reach out to our brothers and sisters of Haiti in their time of need," said Lambuth Sophomore, Amanda Hartmann. "We are so blessed to be students at Lambuth who enjoy so many freedoms, so we cannot help but answer the cry of need to those whose lives have been so devastated by natural disaster."

If you would like to help, please see below for the specifications for the health kits. If you do not have gallon zip lock bags available, the Lambuth Library will have some on hand. In addition, if you simply want to purchase the items and leave them with the Lambuth students Tuesday, the kits will be arranged for you. All plastic grocery sacks will be recycled. Please attempt to bring your health kits to the Luther L. Gobbel Library by 2 p.m. on Tuesday; however, kits will be accepted in the Library until Friday, Jan. 29 at noon.

Health Kit Specifications:

If assembling your own health kit, each health kit must contain the following items in EXACTLY the amounts requested. If the amounts are not exact, they will not fit in a plastic bag and may not adhere to the strict rules governing entry into a foreign country.

Health Kit Assembly Instructions
Health Kit Items Value: $12 per kit
Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag.

• One hand towel (15" x 25" up to 17" x 27", no kitchen towels)
• One washcloth
• One comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-size)
• One nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)
• One bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)
• One toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, no child-size brushes)
• Six adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages
• $1 to purchase toothpaste 
  (NOTE: UMCOR Sager Brown is now purchasing toothpaste in bulk to be added to health kits before shipping to ensure that the product does not expire before they are sent.)

Important Kit Assembly Information

All items included in kits must be NEW items. All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them usable in the greatest number of situations. Since strict rules often govern product entry into international countries, it is important that kits contain only the requested items, nothing more. Do not include any personal notes, money or additional materials in the kits. These things must be painstakingly removed and will delay the shipment.

"When our fellow man's world shakes and falls around him, we who are able must reach out with secure hands and help," Hartmann said.

Lambuth's Student Government Association (SGA) is also planning to combine efforts in support of Haiti. On Feb. 11, Lambuth's SGA will be collecting donations at the men's basketball game, when Lambuth will play Alabama-Huntsville. The fund raising will take place during half time at the gates. In addition, SGA will be handing out free shirts to all Lambuth students with this term's motto of "Live LU," meaning Lead-Inspire-Vitalize-Evolve.

Please make plans to join Lambuth students in an effort to support Haiti relief by donating health kits and attending the Feb. 11 game.

Lambuth University is affiliated with the United Methodist church and was founded in 1843. In the ensuing years, Lambuth has earned a reputation as one of the South's premier liberal arts universities and has received national recognition as one of the nation's Top 250 Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News & World Report and as one of the nation's "Top 100 Outstanding Colleges" by The Washington Post.