Dear Colleagues,

Hurricane Katrina underscores the importance of your commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Community colleges across the nation have opened their doors to students, families, and others displaced by the storm and the floods that followed.

The scholarships, waivers, housing, and assistance provided by our colleges are making a huge difference. But those are only first steps. We urge each of you to develop additional initiatives that provide opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to partner with community-based agencies as we continue to respond to this national disaster.

Because the catastrophic effects of Katrina will be with us for many years to come, we need to be as creative as possible in shaping long-term teaching and learning programs for our students. Service-learning and volunteer service programs that address the impact of Katrina will provide our students with multiple opportunities for deep learning in their disciplines, while simultaneously developing their skills as responsible and engaged citizens. Campus-based learning, in almost every discipline, will enable our students to understand issues of poverty, race, and class and to reflect on how their work in the community can address these issues.

As you develop new initiatives, please report them to Campus Compact by emailing Pam Mutascio at pmutascio@compact.org. The staff of the national Campus Compact office will maintain a registry that can be disseminated to community colleges and other higher education institutions, as well as to legislators and others who may benefit from learning about the essential public work of community colleges.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the community.

Sincerely,

Louis Albert
President, Pima County Community College
Chair, Community College Committee, Campus Compact Board of Directors

Judith Hansen President, Southwestern Oregon Community College
Member, Executive Committee, Campus Compact Board of Directors

Corporation for National and Community Service Katrina Resource Center is helping groups who want to serve to connect with organizations and projects in need of service. Many colleges, high schools, and youth or student organizations plan to deploy groups of students or students and faculty to serve in hurricane affected areas during school breaks. If you are part of a group of 15 or more people who would like to serve in the next 12 months, please register with the Katrina Resource Center. Once you have entered your contact information you will receive a call back from AmeriCorps*VISTA coordinators, who will help to find an appropriate site and activities for your group. If you are unable to access the online registry, call (toll-free) 866-473-5733 to reach a Katrina Resource Coordinator.

Hurricane Katrina Relief Service-Learning Resources and Tools from the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse - The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse has collected resources and tools to help students and teachers develop a service-learning or community service project to assist with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Included are organizations to join; lesson plans on fundraising, hurricanes, floods, and the culture of the areas affected; and stories of what students are doing to help. An opportunity to submit ideas and stories regarding the relief effort is also included.

Katrina Corps is a volunteer organization that was formed in December 2006 for the purpose of speeding up the recovery process in New Orleans. The 501© (3) charitable organization designation has been approved. Contributions made to Katrina Corps or “Pangaea Quest, Inc.” will be tax deductible.

Katrina Corps tries to maintain flexibility with the projects they undertake. During Spring Break, we focused on gutting houses. This summer we will continue gutting, however, we will be shifting our main focus to reopening more public schools and community centers in New Orleans.

Before Katrina, there were 128 public schools open in New Orleans. Currently, 2 years later, there are only 22 public schools open with class sizes reaching 70 students per class. Our goal this summer is to get 25 additional schools open. The City Council is expecting thousands of New Orleanians to return this summer and we would like the kids to have a school to return to come fall.

The Gulfsouth Summer Youth Action Corps is comprised of a national network of college students who are dedicated to rebuilding youth services and opportunities in the hurricane affected areas of the Gulfcoast Region.

Universities Rebuilding America - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson and Corporation for National and Community Service CEO David Eisner announced the Universities Rebuilding America Partnership (URAP), an initiative offering funding and other resources to empower college and university students, faculty, and staff to lend their skills in rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

Volunteer! Baton Rouge is helping to place individuals and groups who are seeking to assist with disaster relief efforts.