Tornado Recovery

In the aftermath of the destructive tornadoes that rolled through central Oklahoma in May, Price College faculty, staff, students and even the family of students worked to help out in the community. They gathered belongings and worked with alumni and corporate sponsors to provide gift cards to those in need. With more than 300 victims of the tornadoes living in temporary housing within OU’s residence halls, the need was great right here on campus.

One of the ways the college involved itself was through the Division of Management Information Systems, which worked with alumni who are employed at Wal-Mart’s corporate office, as well as other MIS alumni. They collected donations and raised $500 in gift cards, which Ryan Trevino, MIS alumnus and director of community experience with OU Housing and Food Services at the university, then distributed among the families staying at OU. A big thank you to alumni Sande Jarrett and Courtney Paynter for all the monies raised because of their coordination.

The college also assisted in the recovery when a Price College staff member took it upon herself to find out what was needed, where to take it and asked her coworkers for donations. Sarah Fox, academic counselor in the Office of Academic Advising, felt she needed to do something. “When I first started working at Price College, I was living in the Plaza Towers neighborhood in Moore,” says Fox. “When I got to  work the morning after the tornado, I let my displaced colleagues know that I had clothes and other supplies in my office in case they needed them. As the day went on, people from all over campus started letting us know what needs they had and others expressed a desire to help. It made sense to bring the two groups together.” Two carloads of donated goods, including everything from toys to toiletries to diapers and formula, along with gift cards definitely brought much assistance to those who needed it in the days following the May tornadoes.

Family of Price College students also became involved from as far away as Indiana. Patti Walz, the mother of spring graduate Corey Walz, who earned his degree in marketing and international business, decided to do something for their home away from home. They found trucks, a donation center, media to help promote and brought two semis to Oklahoma filled with donations for children affected by the tornadoes. The Notre Dame Athletic Department pitched in to load the trucks on their end and then OU’s Athletic Department unloaded and distributed on the Oklahoma end. After driving around the damaged areas in Moore and getting the donations out to those in need, Walz says of the experience, “It was great to see the two competing teams come together to help the tornado victims. After driving around with supply chain management instructor Ron Davidson to the damaged areas in Moore and getting the donations out to those in need, Walz said, “It was great to see the two competing teams come together to help the tornado victims. I did feel like what we did was like dropping an eyedropper of water in to the sea, but the faces of those we spoke with and helped said it all. We learned that this mission helped our community here and it made people feel so good to help.”

< back to newsletter