AU student group raising funds for quake victims

News reports from the Chinese government Friday warned that that the death toll in the wake of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck central China earlier this week could reach as high as 50,000 as frantic efforts to rescue have devolved into a slow process of recovering bodies in many areas.

As international relief agencies coordinate their efforts, locally, one group of Auburn University students is following suit.

The AU Chinese Students and Scholars Association will be holding a “Fundraiser for Earthquake Victims in China” event this weekend on AU’s campus and at a number of store locations in the community.

One of the stations collecting donations will be at the Foy Union Building lobby, according to Yuan Tian, president of the AU Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

“The funds we raise will be fully donated to the China Red Cross Foundation via the Internet,” said Tian, 28, an Auburn University graduate student. “We believe the CRCF will properly use the funds toward disaster relief efforts.”

Tian recalls the tense moments earlier this week when she contacted family members who reside in Chongqing, the largest and most populated of China’s municipalities.

“They told me they felt the building shaking for about 30 seconds or longer, and everybody ran onto the street,” Tian said. “My friends in Chengdu, Sichuan Province which is about a hundreds miles away from epicenter told me the companies gave them one day off on May 13.”

Although a few of Tian’s associates have family residing in or around Sichuan Province, they have fortunately been spared any further loss of life.

“They are walking out of the shadow of the earthquake and trying to get back to their daily lives,” Tian said.

How you Can Help

What: Fundraiser for Earthquake Victims in China

When: Today from 3 to 6 p.m.

Where: Foy Union Lobby. The AU Chinese Students and Scholars Association is in the process of getting approval to set up donation collection stations at the Opelika Wal-Mart and Colonial Mall Auburn-Opelika from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 17.