Hurricane relief effort announced for Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium

Badger football fans will have an opportunity to share their generous spirit in support of people affected by Hurricane Katrina. Fans can make monetary donations to the American Red Cross at Camp Randall Stadium before the season-opener against Bowling Green on Saturday, Sept 3.

Gov. Jim Doyle joined Chancellor John D. Wiley and Wisconsin Head Football Coach and Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez in announcing the relief effort today (Friday, Sept. 2). Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk are also supportive of the initiative.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the people in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi who so desperately need our help. I want to thank those in Wisconsin who have already stepped up to help – and encourage everyone to donate what they can,” Governor Doyle said. “If the 80,000 fans who attend Saturday’s game all give just one dollar – we will raise $80,000 from Wisconsin to help them recover from this tragedy.”

“Sharing just a little can go a long way for people affected by this disaster,” says Wiley, who notes that the Big Ten is also encouraging host institutions to participate in relief drives. “We can make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

“Our loyal fans are always willing to help,” says Alvarez. “I’m pleased that Saturday’s game can serve as a catalyst to this university effort.”

The UW Athletic Department and the National W Club also will team up and, through the club, will contribute 10 percent of all concession sales this weekend to the relief fund.

W Club President Terry Murawski says, “We’re looking forward to participating. Our concessions program is based on service organizations helping and this is clearly a time where we can step up and help.”

The university’s fan ambassador teams – part of Rolling out the Red Carpet campaign – will be expanded to include volunteers with official collection canisters. Among the additional volunteers will be a number of student-athletes from the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Ambassadors will be visible by their attire and stationed around the stadium starting at 9 a.m. – two hours before kickoff – through the first part of the game. The volunteers, who will have official collection canisters, will accept donations to be designated for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Checks will also be accepted and should be made out to the American Red Cross. Special thanks to Schoep’s Ice Cream for donating the collection canisters.

Financial contributions enable the Red Cross to support the greatest needs in the most efficient manner and can be used to purchase items in adjacent, staging areas and eliminate the added costs involved in transporting goods.

Contributions to the American Red Cross will be used to help hurricane survivors by providing:

Food and safe water;
Immediate family supplies;
Health care and disease prevention;
Mental health counseling;
Disaster preparedness and prevention measures.

Fans unable to attend Saturday’s game who would like to contribute to the American Red Cross relief efforts may do so by calling 1-800-HELP-NOW or visiting www.redcross.org.

Donations also can be sent to: American Red Cross, 28 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Please include “Hurricane Relief” in the memo section of the check.

The relief effort follows UW–Madison opening its doors to students enrolled at universities closed by the hurricane. For more information, visit http://www.news.wisc.edu/hurricane/.