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New UW-Madison Katrina relief effort

September 16, 2005 By John Lucas

UW–Madison’s Morgridge Center for Public Service recently partnered with Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, Texas, as part of its efforts to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The Dallas-area high school, part of the Carrollton-Farmers Independent School District, recently took in 30 Louisiana evacuees and is receiving new students every day. More than 400 displaced students have enrolled district-wide.

The campus connection to Texas is Ann Dingman, community service coordinator for the Morgridge Center for Public Service, who is a graduate of the school district and has family residing in the Carrollton area.

Although many of the displaced families have school supplies and clothing, Dingman and Carrollton administrators are attempting to gather Target and Wal-Mart gift cards to assist families in rebuilding their households.

This semester, the Morgridge Center will be encouraging its student committees to fund-raise for this worthy cause. The community can also play a role in the effort. Gift cards can be forwarded to evacuees, care of:

Ann Dingman
Morgridge Center for Public Service
716 Langdon St., Room 154
Madison, WI 53706

For more information, contact Dingman at the Morgridge Center at (608) 262-8446, aedingman@wisc.edu. To hear more about life for evacuees in Carrollton, contact Shannon Johnson, student assistance coordinator at Newman Smith High School at (972) 389-3816.

This effort is one of several at UW–Madison to aid in Katrina relief efforts. Other initiatives can be viewed online.