Most of us lost electric power in the wake of Hurricane Irma, some of us experienced downed trees and fences, but a few of us lost so much more – their homes, their transportation and ways to feed their families. Now that we are back to some sense of normalcy with all of NSU’s campuses operational, I am pleased to share that we are back to school and work. The past week challenged Florida and our NSU community. As of this morning, there are still 81,000 South Floridians still without power. Many of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and their families are still in need of power, transportation, and other basic services and supplies while some need to rebuild their homes.
In the spirit of One NSU and in order to help those in the NSU community who are most in need of assistance, we established the NSU CARES fund. Please consider making a donation or volunteering time to help these individuals return to a sense of normalcy, in what are quite abnormal times. You may DONATE HERE or you can contribute by texting ‘NSUCARES‘ to 41444.
Also, if you know of a fellow student, faculty, associate, contractor, vendor, or alumni members of NSU who need assistance, and support in the wake of this “Florida’s Storm” please send your appeal to NSUCares@nova.edu. Your request will remain confidential unless stated otherwise.
We’ve already heard from many NSU Sharks – students, faculty, staff, contractors, vendors, and alumni – who are offering their time and talents to help those in need. Let me share one story of NSU Cares in action.
Derek Swart, a 6th semester Nursing student and a member of the Nursing Student Association at NSU, decided to help others in his Pompano Beach community after the storm by clearing debris that was scattered around his neighborhood. He knocked on the door of Shannon Brown and offered to clear her yard of the downed trees – not knowing that she, too, was a fellow Shark. Shannon, Senior Director of Development for the Health Professions Division, could not have been more impressed and relieved. She relayed, “Imagine, someone offering a hand when you are frankly wondering where to begin or how you will get it done…and then I learned that he was ‘Shark Family!'” Swart, who owns Derek Landscaping, in addition to attending school, felt that “It was important for the community to come together as a whole.”
We are proud of all who serve our community, with their time, talent or treasure and look forward to learning of more NSU Cares stories in the days ahead.