CWU Steps Up To Help Earthquake Victims In China

May 16, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - A 7.9-magnitude earthquake that left thousands dead, injured and homeless in China's Sichuan Province May 12 has touched the hearts of CWU community members.

As word of the quake's tragic destruction spreads, more citizens are reaching out to help, including those on campus. CWU professors have begun a fund to collect money that will go directly to earthquake victims.

"The Chinese and Chinese-American community in Ellensburg was devastated by the news of the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan Province earlier this week," said CWU Chinese Language Assistant Professor Mei Chun. "We wanted to create a local fund for donations so that Ellensburg residents would have somewhere they could send their gifts. It's often overwhelming and bewildering to try to find appropriate places to donate funds for national disasters, especially those that take place overseas."

Money donated will go directly to the Chinese Red Cross, or a similar organization, to ensure funds are provided for earthquake relief.

"For hundreds of thousands of people in the earthquake area, this is an extremely difficult and sad time," said Philosophy and Religious Studies Department Chair and Asian Philosophy Professor Chenyang Li. "The United States has always been a generous nation. Members of the CWU Chinese-American community feel that raising funds for disaster relief is something we can do to help people devastated by the deadly earthquake."

The account has been set up through Central's University Relations office. Please write checks out to the China Earthquake Relief fund.

All donations can be mailed to University Relations/CWU Foundation, 400 E. University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926. They can also be dropped off at the office, located in Barge Hall, room 402. Credit/debit card donations can be made by calling the CWU Foundation at 509-963-2760 or 509-963-2764, or online at www.mycentral.cwu.edu.

For more information, please call Professor Mei Chun at (509) 963-1728 or send e-mails to meic@cwu.edu, and Professor Yvonne Chueh at chueh@cwu.edu.

Media Contact: Dr. Chenyang Li, CWU Philosophy and Religious Studies, 509-963-1817, lic@cwu.edu
Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu, 509-963-1416

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.